For Medical Pros or Advanced Med Students ONLY - Preferable CARDIAC Specialist(s)?

Yes, it is possible through a heart catherization which would show heart damage.

A cardiac catheterization is the most accurate way to see if you have coronary artery disease, and if so, how much. Coronary artery disease is the build-up of fats and cholesterol in the arteries of the heart. The doctor looks for arteries that have become narrowed or blocked.

The cardiac catheterization also shows whether the valves and heart muscles are working properly. If the valves are not working, medications, surgery, or a balloon procedure may be needed to fix the problem.

You need to consult with a Cardiologist.

See site below for more details on diagnostic testing.

I don't know that you will get definitive results from any testing, however, Barbier, et al, did use magnetic resonance imaging to assess people with clinically recognized myocardial infarctions (RMIs) and unrecognized myocardial infarctions (UMIs). They related MRI findings to cardiac function and morbidity.

They found myocardial infarction scars in 60 subjects (24.2%), in 49 of whom (19.8%) they were UMIs. The volumes of the UMIs were significantly smaller than those of the RMIs. So, if your boyfriend had a myocardial infarct or heart attack several years ago, then an MRI might pick up the scarring.

In this study, ejection fraction (a measure of how well the left ventricle is working) was significantly lower (meaning the heart was not working as well) and LV (left ventricle) mass significantly larger in the subjects with UMI or RMI than in those without MI scars. This is important, because the changes in the ejection fraction and LV mass also support the idea that he had a remote MI. Remote, because it happened some time in the past.

Good question and good luck!

What defines a heart attack is death of cardiac cells. The most evidence of this would be a loss of their function and discovery of necrotic (dead or scarred) tissue left in its place.

MRI with certain types of contrast dye will delineate an area of dead tissue.

Echocardiogram will demonstrate areas of hypokinetic (low movement) or akinetic (no movement) heart wall function. If it correlates with EKG findings of scar tissue (Q waves of significance), then one can say that there was probably death of cardiac tissue with a high degree of "medical" certainty. Note: ST segment or T Wave changes on cardiograms are usually limited to ongoing injury events; ie the patient is "having" a heart attack as opposed to "had."

Other than that, the only absolute way to confirm the assumption is to look at the cells under microscopy at autopsy.

Even then, for the purposes of assigning legal liability to the event, it would be impossible to establish an iron clad causal relationship of the infarction with anything else; that is, it would be impossible to pinpoint exactly when the heart attack had happened.

Ralph

EKG first. If your EKG is normal, you probably did not have an MI. Your EKG would show ST segment depression or inversions these indicate old ischemic changes. If your boyfriend is fairly healthy then the MRI and heart scans that the other people on here are talking about would probably appear normal. When you start talking about lowered ejection fractions and left ventricular enlargement or worse cardiomyopathy, these people are usually ill. You will have signs. Shortness of breath with minimal exertion among others. Beginnings of congestive heart failure.

I would imagine it would be very difficult to legally prove an old MI and worse yet give it a timeframe.

The simplest way to detect an old infarction of the heart is by recording ECG (Electro Cardiogram). A Myocardial infarction will leave a scar tissue. If this scar tissue is large enough, his or her ECG will show elevated ST-segment and/or inverted T wave. Small scar tissues are usually undetectable.

An echocardiogram, (not ekg) will show the movement of the wall of the heart, which will show, even all these years later, if there was damage to his heart.

It's quite funny (the concept), but your wording (if it is yours) might need to be fixed a little so it runs clearer.

try ecg/ekg.