by A. C. O'Brien

Created on: May 20, 2010   Last Updated: June 30, 2011

Heart attacks are the leading cause of deaths in the USA. This is a very serious health situation and no time should be wasted getting help to the person who is experiencing the symptoms of an MI. Knowing and recognizing the symptoms are the first step in knowing when to get help for the sufferer.

A heart attack, or a myocardial infarction, also referred to as an  M. I, is what most of us know as a heart attack.  Described on Wikipedia as;  "When the heart stops pumping blood the brain goes with out oxygen. It the brain is starved for oxygen for more then a few minuets hypoxia of the brain will occur." here; 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_hypoxia  Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen that kills cells, in this case it is the brain that is dying.

In movies and on TV we often see the classic chest clutch with the victim dropping to the floor in pain when a heart attack is depicted. Hollywood would have us believe that all heart attacks happen like this but in reality, it does not always look that way. Often the patient will say that there is a very heavy pressure on his chest, like an elephant standing on him. Sometimes there is deep soreness in the shoulder and neck or just the shoulder or just the neck. Sometimes the pain is in the upper back and or the jaw. If you were to divide the torso into quarters, any pain in the whole upper left hand quarter or the head might be considered cause for suspicion. The heart attack victim may be sweaty, may be red faced or flushed or bluish in color. They may be fearful, panicky, or having difficulty breathing, Nausea or vomiting or even a prolonged bout of hiccoughs may be a symptoms of a heart attack. Heart attacks can occur at any time of night or day, resting or working, sleeping or awake but the most often time to see these symptoms is during the first hour of being awake in the morning.

The best response when you witness these symptom and suspect a heart attack; is to bring the person who is experiencing these symptoms to the nearest emergency room for evaluation. If there is a telephone near by call 9-1-1 and follow the instruction of the 9-1-1 operator. Only after being seen in the Emergency Department will you be able to tell with certainty that the victim is, or is not experiencing a heart attack. If there is a delay in getting your patient to the Emergency Department there could be complications reducing the chance of a full recovery or the

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