Beware! Arm pain may be a precursor to a heart attack

Ms. Jiang, 69 years old, began to experience paroxysmal precordial dull pain 5 days before the visit, and the left back also felt uncomfortable, and the pain lasted for 10 to 20 minutes each time. When the pain occurred, her left arm was weak, and she always had acid reflux and heartburn. Ms. Jiang did not take it seriously at first, and the symptoms were relieved after taking nitroglycerin tablets at home. Unexpectedly, the condition suddenly worsened in the early morning of the day of the visit, so she rushed to the hospital.

When she went to the hospital for a checkup, the results shocked everyone. The electrocardiogram showed problems, and the values ​​of troponin and proBNP were also abnormal. The doctor made a comprehensive judgment that Ms. Jiang had acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and immediately arranged for her to be hospitalized for treatment. After a series of treatments, Ms. Jiang's condition finally stabilized and the pain disappeared. The doctor told her to take medicine well and have regular checkups after being discharged from the hospital.

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Doctors remind: When a heart attack occurs, the blood supply to the heart is suddenly interrupted, the myocardial cells will be damaged, and it may also cause cardiac electrophysiological disorders and even lead to ventricular fibrillation, which is life-threatening. Moreover, myocardial infarction occurs very quickly. For every minute of delay within 120 minutes, many myocardial cells will die. Therefore, it is very important to identify the early signs of myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction is not just chest pain

The typical symptom of myocardial infarction is pain behind the sternum, a dull, squeezing pain that can last for more than 15 minutes.

But in addition to this, there are some atypical symptoms that are easy to be ignored. For example, some patients may feel discomfort in the entire chest, and even pain in the shoulders, left arm, neck, stomach, back, teeth, etc. At the same time, they may also be accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, sweating, dizziness, extreme fear, and difficulty breathing.

If high-risk groups such as the elderly, young people with irregular lifestyles, and people with the "three highs" of hypertension, high blood lipids, and diabetes develop these symptoms under the presence of inducements, it is necessary to suspect whether they are having a heart attack.

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These two symptoms in the arms may be a precursor to myocardial infarction

1. Pain in the left arm

Many people think that arm pain is a minor problem, but if it is the pain in the left arm, it should not be taken lightly. Studies have found that left arm pain may be a sign of cardiac arrest. When a heart attack occurs, the pain may spread from the hand, wrist to the shoulder, usually in the left shoulder and the inner side of the left arm, and lasts for a short time, mostly 10 to 20 minutes.

If you have chest tightness, shortness of breath, and pale face when your arm hurts, it is likely that you have a myocardial infarction, and you should call 120 immediately. Some patients with myocardial infarction have atypical symptoms, only toothache or arm pain, which can easily delay the disease. Therefore, if you have arm pain or tenderness, you must go to the hospital for examination in time.

2. The difference in systolic pressure between the left and right arms is ≥10 mmHg

When you measure your blood pressure, don't just measure one arm. Under normal circumstances, the difference in blood pressure between the two upper arms will not exceed 10mmHg, and the blood pressure on the right side will be slightly higher than that on the left. If the difference is ≥10mmHg, then you should be careful, as this means that the risk of diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke will be greatly increased. Some studies have shown that when the difference in blood pressure between the two upper arms exceeds 10mmHg, the risk of dying from vascular disease will increase by 70%.

If the blood pressure difference between the two upper limbs is large, the higher side should be used as the standard. At the same time, it is best to do a color Doppler ultrasound or angiography of the blood vessels of both upper limbs to see if the blood vessels are narrowed. Especially smokers and diabetics are more likely to have narrowed blood vessels, so it is even more important to measure blood pressure on both sides.

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Heart attack, how to first aid

If the patient is conscious, calm him down and let him sit down to rest. If he has difficulty breathing, he can lie in a semi-recumbent position. Do not move around. If conditions permit, give him oxygen and measure his blood pressure.

If the blood pressure is not low and there is a history of coronary heart disease, nitroglycerin can be taken sublingually, once every 5 minutes, up to 3 times. If it is confirmed to be an acute myocardial infarction, chew 300 mg of aspirin as soon as possible. At the same time, keep the airway open. If there is difficulty breathing or hemoptysis, let the patient's head tilt to one side.

If the patient loses consciousness, stops breathing, or is in agonal breathing, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately.

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