You’ve just eaten a big meal and feel a burning sensation in your chest. Heartburn/Acidity, right? Probably, but there’s a chance the chest pain is caused by reduced blood flow to your heart or an actual heart attack. Not everyone experiences heart attacks the same way. The common signs of heart attack include chest pain, pressure, tightness, squeezing or burning, and it could be in the middle or to either side of the chest.
Recently one 56-year-old male Police Officer came to OPD of Orange City Hospital & Research Institute- a unit of Ravi Nair Hospitals Private Limited. He had typical complaints of acidity and epigastric discomfort since many days with no other complaints. Previously he was not on any medicine but only taking symptomatic treatment. Initially, he was reluctant to get admitted. Being very acquainted; Dr. Anup Marar, Director-OCHRI intervened, counselled and convinced him for a day admission for more investigations. He was reluctantly admitted under care of Dr. Vina Bang- Physician and Dr. Pankaj Raut- Cardiologist, OCHRI. His ECG showed sinus rhythm and other investigations were normal but Treadmill test was positive. Coronary Angiography was carried out by Dr. Pankaj Raut. Angiography showed Triple Vessel Disease, in which two vessels are completely block and one had 80% block. If he would have walked out of hospital that day without getting admitted, he may have suffered a massive heart attack. Since his sugars were high, he did not have chest pain symptoms which is not seen many a times in diabetics.
Dr. Pankaj Raut- OCHRI Cardiologist said “A common symptom of a heart attack is pain or discomfort, Pressure, tightness, or a squeezing that typically occurs in the center or left side of the chest, this pain may come and go, and its severity can range from mild to severe.” Be mindful of when symptoms occur and what other activities you were engaged in at that time. While heart attacks are a life-threatening medical emergency, heartburn is not. Therefore, being able to recognize the difference between cardiac and non-cardiac chest pain is essential. He further added.
Dr. Vina Bang- OCHRI Physician mentioned “Differentiating simple heartburn from heart disease symptoms can be challenging. You may not be able to decipher them. It may even require an ECG or stress test to check if it’s your heart. If you are in doubt consulting your primary physician is the right thing to do.”
Dr. Anup Marar- OCHRI Director quoted that “Heartburn, angina and heart attack may feel very much alike. Even experienced doctors can’t always tell the difference from your medical history and a physical exam. He signs and symptoms of a heart attack vary greatly from person to person. Heartburn itself can accompany other symptoms of heart attack. One should go to a good speciality center to rule out heart attack.”
Complimenting OCHRI Team for convincing the patient and ensuring timely diagnosis; Dr. Usha Nair- RNHPL Director stated that in addition to the time of occurrence and related activity, understanding your own potential risk factors for heart disease is helpful. She added that the family members of police officer thanked Team OCHRI for timely diagnosis and Bypass surgical treatment advise in any cardiac surgical center of their choice.
