Can you still have a heart attack if your EKG shows normal?
I had an incident this weekend in which EMSA was called to the house for me. EMSA said they believe I had a mild heart attack. But when they hooked up the EKG to me it showed normal. I did have a blood pressure reading of 174 over 110, though and I was sweating severely. The pain in my chest felt like someone had shoved a red hot fireplace poker into it. I couldn't breathe, except for small gasps. I never lost consciousness, though. So, can you have a heart attack and have a normal EKG reading? Thank you.
Texas RN2009-10-06T16:33:58Z
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Unless the EKG is being run WHILE you are having the heart attack, then yes...it is a very real likelihood that you can have experienced a mild heart attack (tachycardia) and then afterward have a normal EKG. Was your blood checked for elevated levels of triponon (cardiac muscle proteins that, when elevated, are a real indicator of a heart attack)? Your elevated bp shows that you were definitely stressed...and the increase of adrenaline ("sweating severely") is another concerning indicator. Are you in good health otherwise? A heart attack is not as life threatening as it once was, but your symptoms are indicative of a stroke as well...which is far more serious as it can cause irreversible brain damage. Please be sure to follow any instructions and take any meds that your physician has prescribed. If you have not yet with a Cardiologist or your general physician, please do so as soon as you can and take all your records from the hospital. Your condition needs to be monitored by a medical professional so that you can discover what caused this, and how to avoid a more serious attack in the future. I know that must have been truly scary for you... Please take care of yourself. Best wishes! :0)
Yes you can have a normal EKG while having a heart attack.....unless they catch it right when it is happening. My dad went into the hospital with chest pains, and his EKG was normal....blood work was abnormal....catherization showed 2 blockages. He has also had normal and abnormal EKG's also, from past heart attacks. Your BP was very high too. Did they put a stent in you? Make sure you follow up with a cardiologist! Good Luck! And if this was not taken care of, go back to the hospital! IT needs to be taken care of! If you had a heart attack then that means you have a blockage in one of your arteries.