Am I Having a Heart Attack?

[Pages:1]Am I Having a Heart Attack?

How do I know if I am having a heart attack?

You may b e having a he art attack if you fe e l any of the se symp toms:

Chest discomfort or pain which lasts

long e r than 5 minute s AND is not re lie ve d by re st or nitroglyce rin AND fe e ls like :

? p re ssure ? tig htne ss ? sq ue e zing ? crushing ? inte nse b urning ? aching

In ad d ition to the symp toms ab ove , you may also have :

p ain rad iating to your:

? back ? should e r ? neck ? jaw/ te e th ? arm ? wrist

shortne ss of b re ath d izzine ss fainting nause a (fe e ling sick to your stomach) vomiting (throwing up ) unusual we akne ss rap id and /or irre g ular he artb e at se nse of imp e nd ing (coming ) d oom

The more boxe s you che ck, the more like ly you are having a he art attack. The re may b e othe r e xp lanations for your che st p ain, b ut it is imp ortant to g e t me d ical he lp .

This info rmatio n is no t inte nde d to diag no se he alth pro b le ms o r to take the place o f me dical advice o r care yo u re ce ive fro m yo ur physician o r o the r he alth care pro fe ssio nal. If yo u have pe rsiste nt he alth pro b le ms, o r if yo u have additio nal q ue stio ns, ple ase co nsult with yo ur do cto r.

DON'T DELAY!

If you are having a he art attack, g e tting me d ical atte ntion rig ht

away can save your life !

Ge tting me d ical care within one hour of your he art attack can lowe r the amount of he art muscle d amag e d .

Your symptoms may come on gradually (slowly). They may be vague or intermittent (start and stop).

? If you have ang ina, your he art attack symp toms may fe e l like your ang ina, b ut your he art attack symp toms may b e strong e r or last long e r.

? If you have had a he art attack b e fore , it may fe e l the same or d iffe re nt.

What should I do?

1. Stop what you are d oing .

2. Sit or lie d own.

3. If your d octor has p re scrib e d nitrog lyce rin for you, p lace one nitrog lyce rin tab le t und e r your tong ue . Le t it d issolve . Do not che w or swallow the p ill. If your symp toms are not re lie ve d in 3?5 minute s b y nitrog lyce rin and re st, call 911 e me rg e ncy se rvice s b e fore you call anyone e lse .*

While you wait for the amb ulance , you can continue to p ut one nitrog lyce rin tab le t und e r your tong ue e ve ry 5 minute s until your symp toms are re lie ve d or until the amb ulance arrive s. If you d o not have your nitrog lyce rin with you, call 911 e me rg e ncy se rvice s b e fore you call anyone e lse .*

4. If your d octor has not p re scrib e d nitrog lyce rin for you, call 911 e me rg e ncy se rvice s b e fore you call anyone e lse .*

5. Do not d rive yourse lf.

6. If you are not alre ad y taking d aily asp irin, che w one ad ult-stre ng th (325mg ), uncoate d asp irin tab le t if you have it and if you are not allergic to asp irin.

*If yo u have an e me rg e ncy me dical co nditio n, call 911 o r g o to the

ne are st ho spital. Whe n yo u have an e me rg e ncy me dical co nditio n, we co ve r e me rg e ncy care fro m Plan pro vide rs and no n-Plan pro vide rs anywhe re in the wo rld.

An e me rg e ncy me dical co nditio n is (1) a me dical o r psychiatric co nditio n that manife sts itse lf b y acute sympto ms o f sufficie nt se ve rity (including se ve re pain) such that yo u co uld re aso nab ly e xpe ct the ab se nce o f imme diate me dical atte ntio n to re sult in se rio us je o pardy to yo ur he alth o r se rio us impairme nt o r dysfunctio n o f yo ur b o dily functio ns o r o rg ans; o r (2) whe n yo u are in active lab o r and the re isn't e no ug h time fo r safe transfe r to a Plan ho spital b e fo re de live ry, o r if transfe r po se s a thre at to yo u o r yo ur unb o rn child's he alth and safe ty.

02332-001 (Revised 1-06) WAS 94641 ? 2006, The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Regional Health Education.

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