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THE FIRST SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK.

In obituaries of daily newspapers phrases such as the following are frequently found: "Suddenly while at work" or "In the midst of his creative period the fifty-two year old N. M. sustained a heart attack." But does this event occur unexpectedly, without any warning? "Did you not feel any pain prior to the heart attack?" the anxious relatives ask the patient in the intensive care unit. This question actually presupposes another one. Could the heart attack have been averted either by long-term prevention or immediate action prior to the attack, if certain symptoms had been taken more seriously?

Does a heart attack really come "out of the blue"? A study at the University Clinic in Heidelberg appears to corroborate this assumption, because of 913 coronary patients, 38% felt no symptoms four weeks prior to the heart attack. However, 30% of those who developed a heart attack, did notice certain warning signs.

Warnings which may indicate an impending heart attack include the following:

Chest pain (debilitating pain in the left chest) which the patient has never felt before, and

Changes in an already diagnosed angina pectoris. The pain becomes more frequent and intense, and of longer duration.

In this stage the physician must be consulted immediately and the patient must clearly describe the new chest pains or changes in the previously diagnosed disease. Only when the physician hears a detailed account, can he determine the danger of an impending heart attack and decide which steps should be taken to prevent it.

He may decide to hospitalize the patient for rest, or to reduce risk factors and the danger of blood clotting or he may decide that an angiocardiogram is necessary.

Unfortunately, only a small number of those who notice the symptoms described previously, actually consult the physician before it is too late.

Is it possible to go directly to the hospital without first consulting the physician? Since this question is often posed in patient discussion groups, we shall answer it now in the affirmative: if a heart attack or re-infarction is suspected, the patient can enter the hospital directly and must be treated.

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Cardio & Blood