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Silent
Is a silent heart attack only considered more damaging because its mostly undetected and so you can have another one with no treatment i.e. if detected does it actually cause less damage?
The trouble with ECG's is that they CAN pick up if you've had MI in the past, but they often need a history of traces so they can see if any further developments have occurred. I have a tracing from last year which I have to keep safe in the house. So when (if) Paramedics arrive, they have something to match a new trace against.
Its not me in this case- its my grandmother but they actual only had some chemical markers of a heart attack. Though I do wonder that given I have had an ECG (or similar heart electrical test) for totally unrelated condition- would that have picked up if I ever had a heart attack- I certainly had some strange painful sensations now and again.
This is an interesting question and caused me to ask my Cardiologist a lot of questions. It is interesting to note there isn't just one type of heart attack. The proper term is Myocardial Infarction (MI for short) and there is MI and there is Acute MI. Normal MI can be caused by a restriction of around 95% or more. There isn't enough oxygen to supply the heart muscle in a particular area, and the cells become damaged. With such cases, it is very common for heart muscle to fully recover from the damage, because they didn't reach the necrotic (dead) stage. With Acute MI, the vessel is 100% blocked, and between 4-6 minutes the muscle starts to die. There is no way you will get to a hospital and have emergency stenting or bypass within 6 mins, so the aim is to save as much muscle as possible. If you have no symptoms, then no muscle fed by that vessel is going to survive. But if you do have symptoms, get to hospital too late, then there is no hope of saving any of that muscle either. Paramedics can get a good idea if it's MI or Acute MI by giving you GTN. A 100% blockage will not respond to GTN, but a 95-99% blockage will usually give SOME relief.
So, I guess the answer to your question is, it depends on how quickly you receive treatment.
So, I guess the answer to your question is, it depends on how quickly you receive treatment.
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