Do not mistake the symptoms of Heart Attack as Gas: Dr T S Kler

New Delhi, February 26,2018:

Most people think if there is pain in chest or uneasiness in the stomach, it is because of the gas problem. But the truth is that heart attack or angina could happen in the same manner. Angina means there is a shortage of blood supply to a part of the heart muscle. It usually occurs on exertion and gets better if you take rest or a tablet of sorbitrate. But heart attack (scientifically termed as myocardial infraction) occurs only when there is a sudden and total occlusion of any coronary artery supplying blood to heart muscle. The best treatment of a heart attack is to re-establish blood supply to the heart muscle, either by urgent angioplasty or clot bursting medicine, and that to, as soon as possible. Any delay will damage the heart muscle permanently and the more the delay, the more is the damage. Any treatment after six hours of the onset of symptoms of heart attack is practically useless as most of the damage is done within six hours.

So, considering the symptoms of heart attack as gas is a blunder which many people in India still commit. Any delay in going to the hospital can cause a lot of damage to our heart. It is not so easy for the patient to differentiate between a genuine gastric problem vs the heart attack. A few points can help :

• If the symptoms are new, people better consider it be related to the heart.
• If you have diabetes again, it is more likely to be related to heart.
• If you have similar symptoms on exertion, again it points out to a heart problem
• If there is associated sweating or breathlessness, it is likely to be related to the heart.
• If symptoms are relived by taking a tablet of sorbitrate, then it is likely to be related to the heart.
• If the upper tummy symptoms are associated with any discomfort or pain in the chest, left arm or neck, again it points to a heart problem.
• If you are known to have hiatus hernia and have been having such symptoms in the past it could be gastric in nature.
• If you get acute burning while lying down and get better on sitting or after swallowing milk, it points to gasto-oesophageal reflux.
• Incase of any doubt or if symptoms last more than 20 minutes even after taking an antacid, it is better to go to the hospital and get an ECG done, because consequences of missing a heart attack could be grievous or even fatal.

“- Dr T S Kler, Chairman, PSRI Heart Institute, New Delhi”