Mature Life Features

. . . comes after you’ve I’ve seen it all and done it all,

and you have time to remember it all.

Heart Attack Can’t Wait for Donors

You catch someone by surprise and they’re likely to blurt out that you almost gave them a heart attack. If they did suffer an attack, they would be among the more than 800,000 people who are struck by such a sudden attack every year.

The lucky ones are among the more than 300,000 heart transplant patients.

However, almost 400 people died last year because there’s a shortage of organ donors. While the public overwhelmingly supports organ donation – more than 90 percent said they would donate a family member’s organs if that was their wish — slightly more than half the adults have granted permission to have their organs donated after they die.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death, accounting for one out of four fatalities in this nation.

A coronary attack can be silent and unobtrusive or strike like a sledge hammer. One-third of its victims don’t experience any chest pain, leading to misdiagnosis of their problem. Global studies indicate folks with symptoms such as sweating, fainting, vomiting, nausea and shortness of breath are more likely to have their condition misdiagnosed and are three times more likely to die in hospital than patients suffering the tell-tale chest pain.

A myocardial infarction, the high-fallutin’ label for a heart attack, normally occurs when a blood clot or fatty build up in an artery blocks a vessel to the heart. This deprives the organ of the oxygen and nutrients it needs. This leads to a feeling of deep pressure or tightness of the chest.

Any chest discomfort or pain that lasts for more than a few minutes requires immediate medical attention. Less common symptoms include pain or discomfort in the back, neck or jaw, between the shoulder blades, your left shoulder and in one or both arms. Other red flags include shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, vomiting, a feeling of indigestion, dizziness or light-headedness, sudden fatigue or weakness, and a sense of impending doom.

If any of these last for more than five minutes, call 911.