Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) | Baylor Scott & White Health

You can take steps to prevent a heart attack

Like all the muscles in your body, your heart muscle needs oxygen to do its job. Blood brings oxygen to your heart, and when oxygen-rich blood is blocked or slowed, you can have a heart attack.

During a heart attack, a blockage or clot deprives part of the heart muscle of blood. The faster you get care, the less injury your heart experiences. Quick, comprehensive treatment can help your recovery and your return to daily life after having a heart attack.

How well do you know your ticker?

Your heart works hard every day. Understanding how it works can help you lower your risk for conditions like coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation (AFib), heart valve disease and more.

Take the quiz to test your knowledge and learn how to protect your heart.

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Symptoms of a heart attack

Angina, or chest pain, is the most common warning sign of a heart attack, but there are many other symptoms, including:

Breaking out in a cold sweat
Chest discomfort (pressure, squeezing or fullness that comes and goes or lasts for a few minutes or longer)
Feeling faint, weak or unusually tired
Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
Nausea or vomiting
Pain or discomfort in the arms, back, jaw, neck, shoulders or stomach
Shortness of breath

Not all heart attacks have symptoms

These heart attacks, called silent ischemia or silent heart attacks, occur when blood flow is blocked temporarily. This temporary blockage deprives the heart muscle of oxygen for a short time.

daughter hugging mother who is at risk for a heart attack over the shoulders smiling at the camera

Heart attack symptoms in women

Women can experience heart attacks differently from the way men do. While chest pain is the most common symptom in men and women, women are more likely to have these symptoms:

Anxiety
Arm, back, shoulder, jaw, tooth or shoulder pain
Feeling unusually tired, sometimes for a few days before the heart attack
Shortness of breath
Nausea

What causes a heart attack?

Heart attacks mostly occur when plaque made up of fat, cholesterol and other substances builds up inside the walls of your coronary arteries. This plaque buildup causes the arteries to narrow, and the plaque can break off, forming blood clots. Narrowed arteries and blood clots can prevent blood from reaching your heart, causing a heart attack.

The slow buildup of plaque, called atherosclerosis, can cause coronary artery disease, and coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart attacks in adults. Unfortunately, you can’t feel plaque building up in your arteries, and a heart attack can be the first sign you have coronary artery disease.

Heart attacks can also occur when one of the coronary arteries contracts or spasms suddenly, as this interrupts blood flow. In other rare cases, the coronary artery can tear unexpectedly, which is called spontaneous coronary artery dissection.

close up of CT cardiovascular imaging showing patient's risk of heart attack

Heart attack risk factors

Many factors increase your risk of having a heart attack, some of which you can control and some you can’t.

A healthy lifestyle and regular visits with your primary care provider can help reduce these risk factors:

Being overweight or obese
Eating an unhealthy diet high in salt, saturated fat and sugar
Having prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Not getting enough physical activity
Smoking or vaping

Women who had preeclampsia (a type of high blood pressure) during pregnancy also face a higher risk of heart attacks later in life.

The good news is that you can protect your heart regardless of your medical history, age, sex, or family history. If you have any of the risk factors above, talk to your provider about steps to improve your heart health.

Some heart attack risk factors are beyond your control

Those include:

Age and sex: Men are at greater risk for heart attacks after age 45 and women after age 55.
Family history of heart disease: Having a father, brother, mother or sister with heart disease at an early age (before 55 for men and 65 for women)

Diagnosing a heart attack

It’s crucial to dial 911 for medical assistance and to reach the emergency room promptly if you suspect a heart attack. Emergency medical personnel can offer initial treatments in the ambulance and will alert the hospital’s medical team that you’re on the way.

Healthcare providers can diagnose heart attacks using a physical exam, which includes checking the person’s pulse, measuring blood oxygen levels and blood pressure, and listening to heart and lung sounds. Additionally, different imaging and diagnostic tests are used:

Imaging and physiologic signal testing

Tests can be performed that show aspects of the heart structure and functionality that may indicate a heart attack. An electrocardiogram measures your heart’s electrical activity and how well it’s working. Imaging tests, including angiograms, cardiac CT scans and MRIs, provide detailed pictures of the heart to help physicians identify problematic areas and abnormalities.

Treatments for a heart attack

Emergency treatment for a heart attack focuses on clearing the blockage causing your heart attack and restoring blood flow to your heart.

Medications

Depending on the severity of your heart attack and other underlying health conditions, one or a combination of medications may be prescribed to help your recovery and manage risks and symptoms for future heart attacks.

For example, statins help reduce fatty deposits in your arteries. Beta-blockers manage blood pressure and heart rate levels. Additionally, your physician may give you medication, such as aspirin, that helps prevent blood clots and other heart attacks.

Find a location near you

Our cardiologists are dedicated to helping you recover from a heart attack as quickly and thoroughly as possible. You have access to high-quality emergency and follow-up heart care at locations across North and Central Texas, so you can get back in action and protect your heart for the long term.

Baylor Scott & White Advanced Heart Failure Clinic - Abilene

1219 E South 11th St Ste B2, Abilene, TX, 79602

Baylor Scott & White Advanced Heart Failure Clinic - Abilene

1219 E South 11th St Ste B2, Abilene, TX, 79602

You can take steps to prevent a heart attack

How well do you know your ticker?

Symptoms of a heart attack

Not all heart attacks have symptoms

Heart attack symptoms in women

What causes a heart attack?

Heart attack risk factors

Some heart attack risk factors are beyond your control

Diagnosing a heart attack

Imaging and physiologic signal testing

Blood tests

Treatments for a heart attack

Medications

Oxygen therapy

Surgery and procedures

Cardiac rehabilitation

Find a location near you

Frequently asked questions

If my genetics increase my risk for atherosclerosis and heart disease, is there anything I can do to avoid a heart attack?

Should I take a statin or daily aspirin to prevent a heart attack if I haven’t had one?

Will I always be on medications after a heart attack?

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