Have you ever experienced any of the following warning signs?
- A feeling of discomfort or pain in the chest? This could range from uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain and usually occurs in the center of the chest. Angina occurs when not enough oxygen-rich blood is flowing to your heart muscle.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body? Symptoms can include pain, heaviness, weakness or aching discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort? The patient is unduly winded.
- Sudden nausea or vomiting?
- Irregular heartbeats? The patient experiences palpitations which are irregular, too fast, or too slow. This is referred to as arrhythmia.
- Light-headedness with or without exertion? The patient feels dizzy or faint which is usually caused by electrical abnormality in the heart. The patient is not receiving enough blood an oxygen.
- Fainting, near-fainting or unusual fatigue? The patient experiences fainting (syncope) or nearly fainting (pre-syncope) or fatigue which can be due heart’s impaired ability to pump blood.
- Breaking out into a cold sweat or unusual overheating?