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Those with tell-tale heart attack symptoms wait on average 3 hours before seeking emergency help.  That shocking statistic comes from a study by Swedish cardiologists at the Karolinska University Hospital that investigated the reasons for such a life-threatening delay.

Their study followed 326 patients having either a first or a second heart attack.  Some reported waiting more than 12 up to 24 hours after the onset of symptoms due to what they describe as a paralysis to act on the symptoms.  

Many rationalized that the severe and persisting chest, arm, and shoulder pains for more than 15 minutes they well knew were signs of impending disaster would pass by themselves.  They didn’t think that their symptoms warranted an ambulance trip to the hospital.

This is the first study to identify that action immobilization occurs in heart attack victims.   The authors emphasize that a feeling of paralysis to act can be added to the known heart attack symptoms of left-sided chest pain, arm pain, shoulder pain, and sometimes upper abdominal pain.  When you notice these symptoms, act at once to get help.

Carolin Nymark, Peter Henriksson, Anne-Cathrine Mattiasson, Fredrik Saboonchi, Anna Kiessling. Inability to act was associated with an extended delay prior to care-seeking, in patients with an acute myocardial infarction. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2019; 147451511984465 DOI: 10.1177/1474515119844654

#Heartattack #delay #actionparalysis #cardiology