Patients avoid hospitals in a pandemic. Cardiologist: These symptoms of a heart attack must not be ignored

As medics note, patients during a pandemic are afraid of going to a hospital and want to limit their contact with the health service. They do not call for help even when they have symptoms of a heart attack, which can have very dangerous consequences. We talk to a cardiologist, Dr. hab. Małgorzata Kloch.

1. Patients treat hospitals as places where they can contract the coronavirus. Therefore, the number of reports with a heart attack has drastically decreased – confirms the cardiologist, Dr. Małgorzata Kloch
2. Therefore, every patient with symptoms of a heart attack must visit the hospital as soon as possible and undergo specialist treatment. Every minute is important to health, and often life
3. A typical symptom of a heart attack is chest pain – explains the cardiologist. What’s the pain? How to recognize it and distinguish it from other ailments?
4. You can find more up-to-date information on the coronavirus on the Onet homepage

Does your doctor confirm that people actually fear seeking medical attention during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Dr hab. Małgorzata Kloch: Yes, patients do limit their contact with health services, they are afraid of hospitals because they treat such places as potential coronavirus outbreaks. We observed this especially at the beginning of the pandemic, when the percentage of people admitting to the hospital with a heart attack and exacerbation of other cardiac diseases decreased drastically. And yet people did not stop suffering from heart disease. Meanwhile, it should be remembered that all safety rules are followed in hospitals, and patients suffering from COVID-19 are isolated from other patients.

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The Polish Cardiac Society informed the media and the public in detail about the preparation of centers for patients with heart diseases and about the procedures and verification of patients for COVID-19 infection. Patients don’t have to worry about being treated with other patients who are infected with the coronavirus, as everyone admitted to the hospital is screened.

In addition, it should be remembered that people still get sick during the pandemic. So they need to be treated and have access to health care. In some cases, avoiding treatment can do more harm than just getting infected with the coronavirus. In the event of a heart attack, you must not delay calling for help, because the risk of death and its complications from an untreated heart attack is often greater than the risk of coronavirus infection in a hospital.

Is the suspicion of a heart attack therefore an urgent situation requiring calling an ambulance?

Yes, definitely yes. It is a life-threatening situation during which an area of ​​myocardial necrosis is formed as a result of myocardial hypoxia. Therefore, every patient with symptoms of a heart attack must visit the hospital as soon as possible and undergo specialist treatment. Every minute is important to health, and often life.

In the event of a heart attack, is it possible to talk about the time that is crucial for recovery? Does the patient’s chances of recovery decrease every minute after the onset of symptoms?

Yes, you should call an ambulance as soon as possible after you start to feel pain. If the patient arrives too late, the cells of the heart muscle may die. We currently have modern methods of treating a heart attack. Myocardial infarction is treated in hemodynamics laboratories, where a full profile of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures within the coronary arteries is performed – first, coronary angiography, which is a diagnostic procedure aimed at visualizing the coronary arteries, and then coronary angioplasty, which is a therapeutic and therapeutic procedure, may be considered. consists in unblocking the vessel. If the time from the onset of symptoms to performing these procedures is delayed, the patient’s heart muscle may be irreversibly damaged, leading to the development of heart failure.

What are the common symptoms of a heart attack?

A typical symptom of a heart attack is pain in the chest (retrosternal). Its nature can be varied. It can be stinging, crushing, but patients also report a feeling of heaviness. It is often radiating to the left hand, mandible or interscapular area. This pain is independent of your body position and breathing pattern.

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Can any problem arise when admitting a patient with a heart attack and suffering from COVID-19 at the same time?

No, absolutely. For such cases, the University Hospital is dedicated in Krakow. The situation is similar in other cities. These are departments adapted to admit patients with COVID-19 infection, having a heart attack or other serious cardiological conditions, such as exacerbation of heart failure or dangerous arrhythmia.

Read also:

1. On frosty days, the number of heart attacks increases significantly. Here are five important reasons
2. Seven symptoms of a silent heart attack you need to know
3. When the heart fails, warning signs appear on the skin
4. The seven worst foods for your heart

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