a general rule, it is better to be safe than sorry. If a heart attack is suspected and any of these symptoms are present, this may indeed be a sign of a serious lack of oxygen-rich blood supply to the heart. Emergency medical help should be sought immediately.

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Call 911 immediately ? this is the fastest way to receive medical attention. Prompt medical care (every minute counts) can minimize the degree of heart muscle damage done and improve the chances of survival.

If you think that yo or someone you know is having a heart attack, you should call 9–1–1 immediately.

Yes, because people with angina usually have coronary artery disease, they are at an increased risk for a heart attack. If angina episodes start happening more often, lasting longer, or occurring even when you're at rest (known as unstable angina), a heart attack may be about to happen. Studies indicate that every year, 3% to 3.5% of angina patients have heart attacks. If you feel you might be having a heart attack, call 911 or your local emergency number right away.

Even a stress test isn't 100% definitive. Certainly someone with a normal stress test is at lower risk than someone with an abnormal one. But plaque in an artery can sometimes go from an undetectable 20% blockage to a critical 99% blockage overnight, much like a volcano erupting. Unfortunately, this sort of situation is almost impossible to predict or prevent. Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol and taking aspirin can help, however. Yes and no.

When a heart attack becomes a full cardiac arrest, the heart most often goes into uncoordinated electric activity called fibrillation. The heart twitches ineffectively and cannot pump blood. The AED delivers electric current to the heart muscle, momentarily stunning the heart, stopping all activity. This gives the heart an opportunity to resume beating effectively.

Aspirin is a blood thinner, which can help prevent a heart attack by ensuring the blood does not stick to and plug blood vessels in the heart. Where there are such risk factors as age, diabetes, obesity and a family history of heart disease, a simple low dose of Aspirin every day (80 mg or a quarter of a tablet) can reduce the chances of having a heart attack by as much as 50 per cent. Before you start taking Aspirin every day, discuss with your doctor.

A person diagnosed with CAD does not necessary mean that he is going to suffer from heart attack soon. Heart attack is a situation as explained earlier where blood supply to a certain part of the heart is completely cut off.

It now appears that not everybody responds equally to aspirin's anti-platelet effects. Some people require higher doses, some don't respond at all. Fortunately, we are now able to determine, with a simple in-office blood test, whether someone's aspirin therapy is effective. For further information about this new test, click here (you will need Adobe Acrobat to view the link). Maybe not.

episode of angina is NOT a heart attack. However, people with angina report having a hard time telling the difference between angina symptoms and heart attack symptoms. Angina is a recurring pain or discomfort in the chest that happens when some part of the heart does not receive enough blood temporarily. A person may notice it during exertion (such as in climbing stairs). It is usually relieved within a few minutes by resting or by taking prescribed angina medicine.

A heart attack is an event that results in permanent heart damage or death. It is also known as a myocardial infarction, because part of the heart muscle (myocardium) may literally die (infarction). A heart attack occurs when one of the coronary arteries becomes severely or totally blocked, usually by a blood clot. When the heart muscle does not obtain the oxygen-rich blood that it needs, it will begin to die.

Yes, you can still have a heart attack. An ICD does not prevent a myocardial infarction, which is a blocked artery causing heart muscle tissue to die. Things like exercise, improved diet, reduced stress, and other lifestyle changes suggested in a cardiac rehab program will reduce chances for a heart attack. The ICD implant will save your life 99% of the time if you have a potentially lethal episode of arrhythmia. (According to current statistics.