Big Willie Champ On that note, how do you know if it's a heart attack or something else like indigestion or pericarditis? The other day whilst bending down I felt a sharp pain in my central left side of my chest that lasted a couple minutes but no shortness of breath, no tingling or pain in the left arm etc. Didn't go hospital or anything but it now makes me wonder if that was a minor heart attack which I didn't think it was at the time. Like is it obvious it's one or one of those situations it could have been?
I'm a surgeon (though not cardiothoracic). This is actually tricky to answer so I hope this info may prove useful.
If the pain is sharp, sudden and localised, it's not likely to be a classic heart attack if you're otherwise in good health. Might be muscle ache or costochondritis if it happens from movement. However, it could potentially be a silent heart attack if you have comorbidities (smoker, high blood pressure, diabetic, obese). Because the symptoms of a silent heart attack are more muted, you may not know you've had one until, for example, you do a blood test for another ailment within a couple of weeks and the doctor finds elevated troponin levels.
If chest pain develops over a few minutes, radiates around the chest, neck, arms and causes breathlessness, call an ambulance asap. Heart cell death is not reversible so acting quickly is important.
