They occur less frequently and the death rate is much reduced. Heart attacks are still a major threat in the elderly population. One million patients suffer heart attacks yearly and 700,000 die of early or late effects. Maybe all elderly acute admissions to the hospital should be screened for heart attacks. You won't be made to look like a fool in the E.R. if your problem turns out to be nothing but a bad case of indigestion.
Later attacks are more serious for men as well as women because of associated disease.
When a heart attack occurs, accurate diagnosis is critical. If an electrocardiogram is abnormal, further studies can be made to evaluate the extent of the damage to the heart. Unfortunately, many patients die before they get to the hospital of abnormal heart rhythm. Cardiac catheterization, the threading of a 2 mm diameter plastic tube from the groin into the coronary blood vessels is done to picture obstructions. Sometimes there is intervention within the coronary arteries themselves.