May 27th

When it comes to treating heart attacks, getting care as soon as possible is important. But that might not be happening for half of those having a heart attack.The half of the patients we are talking about are women having heart attack symptoms. It turns out they might not be getting the medicines they need to help them with the heart attack when they need them the most.As an ER doctor I've treated many heart attack patients, we have a saying that when it comes to the heart----time is muscle. Basically that means the more time someone's heart is deprived of oxygen during a heart attack, the more heart muscle is damaged. And that damaged muscle never recovers. So getting treatment early on is vitally important. But according to this latest study, that might not be happening---at least for women.
University of Pennsylvania researchers looked at both sexes to see how they were treated for their heart attacks. It turns out that men are more likely to get aspirin, nitroglycering and even something as basic as an IV, than women.Part of the reason this is happening could be because women's symptoms don't always fall under what we used to consider the classic symptoms of a heart attack---chest pain or pressure. Instead they tend to have more vague symptoms, like extreme fatigue. So your best bet is to know your own body. Be your own advocate-and speak up--- especially if you think something is wrong.