2 hours is the maximum time to properly manage a heart attack. A 2019 study found that the time frame is often much longer for patients whose symptoms develop gradually.
- Proper management of a heart attack should be done within 2 hours.
- However, the average time to treatment is 4 hours, or even up to 8 hours for patients who have developed progressive symptoms.
- Symptoms of a heart attack occur after physical exertion in just over one in two cases.
Emergency! A heart attack requires treatment as soon as possible. The instructions are very clear: more than 2 hours after an attack, it is difficult to guarantee a good effect of the treatment and the risk of death is much higher.
However, a study conducted by the European Society of Cardiology and published in 2019 in the‘European Journal of Cardiology Nursingindicates that the wait time for treatment is often much longer. Patients – especially those whose symptoms appear gradually – can wait up to 8 hours before getting medical help. For those whose symptoms were sudden, the wait was still 2.6 hours.
Symptoms are as severe as they are sudden or progressive.
Sudden symptoms are characterized by sudden, severe pain, while progressive symptoms may be only mild discomfort that gradually worsens. However, “Both constitute a medical emergency and require very rapid assistance. “, recalls Dr. Sahereh Mirzaei, author of the study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who notes that this study “shows that gradual symptoms are not taken seriously.”
The work was conducted on 474 patients admitted to the emergency department with an acute coronary symptom (myocardial infarction and unstable angina). Questionnaires were used to assess the symptoms as well as the time elapsed between their onset, the intervention of emergency services and the arrival of the patient at the emergency department.
A median interval of 4 hours between the first symptoms and arrival at the hospital
Analysis of the results showed that symptoms appeared suddenly in 56% of patients and gradually in 44% (women sought medical help earlier than men in case of acute pain) and that there was a median gap of 4 hours between the onset of the first signs and arrival at the hospital. Only 45% of patients called an ambulance while 52% used their own transport to get to the hospital.
“Symptoms of acute coronary syndrome are nonspecific and often difficult to interpret. But chest pain is often a warning sign of a blocked artery. This pain should not be ignored, as symptoms can also include pain in the throat, neck, stomach and shoulders, often accompanied by nausea and cold sweats. In this situation, patients should contact emergency services immediately.“, says Dr. Mirzaei.
Heart attack: symptoms may appear after physical exertion
Among patients in this study, 54% developed symptoms after exercise.
“Men with multiple risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or a family history of heart disease should be aware that chest pain or discomfort after exercise may be signs of a heart attack.“, concludes Dr. Sahereh Mirzaei.
