Chest Discomfort: Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes. It may feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.

Upper Body Pain: You may feel discomfort or pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

Shortness of Breath: This can occur with or without chest discomfort.
 

Other Symptoms May Include:

• Cold sweat
• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea

Symptoms May Vary Between Men and Women

As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

According to the American Heart Association, women, like men, may experience the following symptoms typical of a heart attack:

Common heart attack symptoms for both men and women:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and returns
• Pressure, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest

Heart attack symptoms more common in women:

• Cold sweat or clammy skin
• Indigestion or heartburn-like discomfort
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back, or upper stomach pain
• Shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort
• Unusual fatigue, sometimes lasting days

These symptoms may appear gradually and can occur while resting or even during sleep.

When you arrive at the Emergency Room with chest pain or other symptoms, our priority is to determine the cause of your discomfort as quickly as possible. Heart muscle begins to suffer damage shortly after an artery is blocked, so our diagnostic process is designed to trigger "expedited heart attack care" immediately upon your arrival.

To confirm a heart attack and determine its severity, our Emergency Room care team typically uses the following tools:

Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG): This is usually the first test performed. It records the electrical activity of your heart via sensors attached to your skin. It can show if a heart attack is occurring or has already happened.

Blood Tests: When heart muscle is damaged, certain proteins (like troponin) leak into the bloodstream. We use bedside lab testing to get these results in minutes rather than hours.

Echocardiogram: An ultrasound of the heart that helps doctors identify which areas of the heart muscle are not pumping normally.

Cardiac Catheterization (Angiogram): If a blockage is suspected, a cardiologist may perform this procedure to view the arteries in real-time. This helps us see exactly where the blood flow is restricted.

A quick diagnosis allows our interventional cardiologists to begin life-saving treatments – such as clearing a blockage or inserting a stent – sooner. As a Chest Pain Accredited facility, we adhere to strict national standards to ensure that the time between your arrival and your treatment is as short as possible.

The staff at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center is specially equipped to provide quick care to patients who come to us with symptoms of a heart attack.

Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center received Chest Pain Center accreditation from the American College of Cardiology. This means we are dedicated to providing our patients with the best heart care treatment available. As an accredited facility, we use the newest methods and best practices in heart care to ensure that our patients receive:

• Help and communication to better understand how to respond to your heart emergencies
• Improved quality of life after a heart episode
• Right care at the right time to minimize or eliminate heart damage due to heart attack
• Timely and accurate diagnoses to reduce the disruption to your life and get you home as soon as possible