What would your pulse be during a heart attack

Catch the signs early

Don’t wait to get help if you experience any of these heart attack warning signs. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense. But most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Pay attention to your body and call 911 if you experience:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes – or it may go away and then return. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath. This can occur with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs. Other possible signs include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Download the common heart attack warning signs infographic (JPEG) | (PDF)

Symptoms vary between men and women

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain (angina) or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Learn about the warning signs of heart attack in women.

Watch video: “Just A Little Heart Attack” – a short film directed by and starring Elizabeth Banks

Don’t hesitate to call 911

Learn the signs for heart attack, and remember: Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, have it checked out.

Minutes matter. Fast action can save lives - maybe your own.

Call 911 if you experience heart attack warning signs. Calling 911 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment.

An emergency medical services (EMS) team can begin treatment when they arrive – up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital, too.

For many reasons, it’s best to call 911 so that an experienced EMS team can begin treatment and arrange rapid transport to the emergency room.

Watch an animation of a heart attack.

Learn more:

• Heart attack warning signs: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
• Stroke warning signs

• During a Heart Attack
  • What happens during a heart attack?
• Heart Attack Symptoms
  • What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
• Dangerously High High Rate
  • What heart rate is an emergency?
• Related Resources
  • Related Resources - What Heart Rate Is a Heart Attack?

While no one particular heart rate qualifies as a heart attack, a rapid heart rate outside 60 to 100 beats per minute should be monitored closely.

Doctors cannot say that a particular heart rate qualifies as a heart attack. Your heart rate is not a reliable indicator that you are having a heart attack. It may become high or low or may not change at all.

A normal resting heart rate lies anywhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute. According to the American Heart Association, having a rapid heart rate is not a sign of a heart attack. However, if you feel faint and a flutter in your chest, you must call 911.

Your heart rate during a heart attack may be determined by factors that include:

• Underlying heart conditions: Certain problems in the right coronary artery can cause a slow heart rate during an attack.
• Medications: If you are on medications known as beta-blockers, which are typically given for hypertension and anxiety-related palpitations, you may have a lower heart rate during a heart attack.
• Tachycardia: If you have a condition that causes you to have tachycardia (a higher heart rate) even at rest, your heart rate may stay increased even during a heart attack.

What happens during a heart attack?

During a heart attack, blood flow to your heart gets restricted due to a blockage in an artery that supplies your heart. The blockage is typically due to a plaque, which is a fatty material that gets deposited on the inner wall of the artery.

In the absence of adequate blood flow to the heart muscles, these muscles are starved of oxygen supply and, therefore, can get damaged within a few minutes.

What heart rate is an emergency?

At rest, your heart should not beat more than about 100 times per minute. If you develop a faster heart rate (tachycardia; in absence of known triggers such as high fever, vigorous physical activity, and panic attack), it’s an emergency. It can be a type of tachycardia known as supraventricular tachycardia, which can be life-threatening and precipitate in a heart attack.

Even an irregular heart rate or a pounding heart rate (palpitations) can be an emergency. If you feel that you are skipping a few beats in between when you feel your pulse, you may have an arrhythmia, which is a problem in the electrical activity of the heart.

Once you visit the emergency department, you will be administered medications that slow down your heart rate or those that make your heart rate beat at a regular rhythm.

When medications do not work enough, your doctor may attempt a procedure known as cardioversion that involves dispensing electrical shocks to the heart so that it can reestablish its rhythm.

SLIDESHOW

Medically Reviewed on 12/9/2021

References

Image Source: iStock Images

Jensen MT, Pereira M, Araujo C, et al. Heart rate at admission is a predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with acute coronary syndromes: Results from 58 European hospitals: The European Hospital Benchmarking by Outcomes in acute coronary syndrome Processes study. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. 2018 Mar;7(2):149-157.

Warning Signs of a Heart Attack. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/warning-signs-of-a-heart-attack

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