Pain in myocardial infarction can have a different character. The location and severity of discomfort depends on the cause (why it hurts the heart) and the extent of the lesion. Arising during the seizure pain helps identify heart attacks and distinguish it from other cardiac pathologies.
Types of pain syndromes
Pain during a heart attack is a major symptom of heart muscle tissue necrosis, accompanied by the defeat of the surrounding nerve endings, and the development of pericarditis. Unpleasant sensations occur before the development of the acute stage that with careful regard to their own health helps to prevent the attack.
Typical
In a typical pathology within pain it has the following characteristics:
- Localization. An unpleasant sensation on the left side of the chest. Pain syndrome extends to the inner surface of the left shoulder. This condition combined with numbness and tingling in the hand. When the heart muscle widespread lesion pain gives in the lower jaw, neck or left shoulder area.
- The degree of severity. It depends on the degree of damage to the heart. When small focal myocardial unpleasant sensations have weak intensity. They can be removed with standard analgesics. At large focal lesions syndrome severity is high. Non-narcotic analgesics are ineffective.
- Character. Pain in myocardial typical flow has burning, cutting or sharp in nature. Some patients complain of a stinging character of the pain. At the same time there is a feeling of pressure and gravity in the chest, anxiety, anxious thoughts, fear of impending death.
- Duration. In most cases, the attack lasts at least 15 minutes. Discomfort only increase with time, which indicates the fluctuating course of a pathological condition. Pain subsides for a while, then returns with more intensity.
Atypical
There are the following forms of atypical pain syndromes:
- Abdominal. Pain localized in the upper and middle abdomen. They are combined with nausea, retching, reinforced flatulence, loose stools and frequent painful hiccups. This syndrome occurs in 1-2% of cases.
- Asthmatic. Sensation in this case are similar to the symptoms of asthma attack. Pressing pain in myocardial of this type occurs in the middle of the chest. It is accompanied by a feeling of congestion of the bronchi, dry cough, breathlessness and anxiety. Patient breathing becomes noisy, the skin of nasolabial triangle is blue. On the face appears a grimace of pain. Such a flow of pathology observed in 10% of patients.
- Arrhythmic. Strong burning sensation on the left side of the chest combined with a disturbance of heart rhythm. Possibly increasing heart rate and increased blood pressure.
- Cerebral. Characterized by the appearance of migraine pain localized in the left side of the head. Unpleasant sensations are accompanied by loss of consciousness and nausea. There are signs of acute stroke.
- Painless. Unpleasant sensations have low severity. The patient complains of discomfort in the heart, increased sweating, mood worsening muscle weakness. This form of myocardial characteristic for older people with underlying chronic disease.
How to distinguish the pain of angina pectoris and myocardial
Pain during a heart attack do not differ from those of angina. Discomfort is also given in the left half of the body, neck and face. Honors consider it impossible to eliminate the discomfort of myocardial nitroglycerin. In addition, necrosis of the heart muscle is accompanied by a feverish syndrome, shortness of breath, rapid or slow heartbeat, dizziness and cold sweat. Breathing during acute myocardial becomes intermittent. When angina such manifestations are observed.
What to do
If you feel pain in the heart after myocardial infarction, cardiologists advise:
- To give the patient supine position. Man laid on a flat surface, slightly raising his head. Such helps to improve the patient's condition when tingling in the chest, pale skin, fall in blood pressure and slowing heart rate. When apnea patient must sit down feet.
- Aspirin apply. The drug is rapidly dissolves blood clots. It does not have a pronounced analgesic effect, but when administered early acetylsalicylic acid minimizes the unpleasant symptoms.
- Take nitroglycerin. The tablet does not eliminate the pain, but it helps to get rid of dyspnea. The drug is taken every 15 minutes, which makes it possible to control blood pressure.
Severe pain in myocardial combined with a burning sensation in the esophagus. To eliminate heartburn may be used antacid or soda solution.