3 things to know about widowmaker heart attacks

Every 42 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a heart attack.

February is American Heart Month and a great time to raise awareness on the warning signs of a heart attack. A widowmaker is an informal term for a heart attack that involves 100 percent blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. Here are 3 things to know about a widowmaker heart attack.

1. You can’t tell that someone is having a widowmaker heart attack from the outside.

A widowmaker causes the same symptoms as a heart attack caused by a blockage in a different artery, including chest pain, chest heaviness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness and cold sweats. In women, the symptoms can be more subtle, like neck or jaw pain, nausea and lightheadedness.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, there’s evidence that about one-third of people with heart attacks experience no chest pain.

2. Every minute matters when someone is having a heart attack.

The longer blood isn’t reaching certain parts of the heart, the more the muscle will be damaged. The quickest way to get help is to call 911, not driving to the emergency room. Paramedics can begin diagnostics and treatment with clot-dissolving drugs, as well as feed information to the team at the hospital to help them prepare for the patient’s arrival.

3. The heart is resilient and might recover from a major heart attack like a widowmaker.

Survival rates following a heart attack have improved in recent years; overall, nearly 90 percent of people who have a heart attack survive, according to the latest statistics from the American Heart Association.

Patients sometimes are released from the hospital within a few days — especially if they sought medical attention promptly and the cardiologists were able to open the blockages very early. If you experience any kind of chest pain, tell your doctor. It could be caused by a number of things, but it could also be an early sign of a heart problem.

Heritage Woods of Minooka, an Assisted Lifestyle Community for the Older Adult, 701 Heritage Woods Drive, Minooka, IL, 60447, 815-467-2837, www.gardant.com/heritagewoodsminooka