However, diagnosis of a heart attack at the early stages is not easy. Typically many will have a tight squeezing chest pain but this type of pain can occur with other conditions such as indigestion. More important, many heart attack victims may not have severe pains and some have only a minor discomfort.
Chest pain is a very common symptom.
Hence, correct diagnosis of chest pain is extremely important both to avoid unnecessary tests and treatments in those who do not have a heart problem and alternatively to make sure those who have had a heart attack get the right treatment, which can be life-saving. Doctors in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with their colleagues in the Accident and Emergency department at the Prince of Wales Hospital are now using a new bedside test for heart damage. This allows speedy diagnosis of patients presenting with a suspected acute heart attack or angina. If the repeat test is again negative then the patient can go home. When the heart is short of oxygen because of a blockage in the feeding artery, the muscle cells become leaky and some of the components inside are released into the blood where they can be detected.