A leading dentist calls me just now saying he has a patient with a suspected heart attack. The patient had gone to him with severe jaw pain. An astute dentist he was quick to identify it as referred pain of cardiac origin. Rest is history. #Heart attack is a great masquerader.
The cardiac innervations depend on the afferent sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves (lazy nerve). The majority of the innervations are transferred through the first five thoracic roots. The link between the lazy nerve and the trigeminal nucleus explains the pain in the jaw.
Another atypical manifestation of a heart attack is interscapular pain and shoulder blade pain. This is often seen in women and ECG and Echo are usually silent in this case. It is often due to left circumflex artery involvement.
He is my ECG technician and clinic assistant. He always carries tab Dispirin in his pocket. He doesn’t waste any time in giving dispersible aspirin to patients as soon as a heart attack red alert is sounded by us. A small act and Life saved.
The reason I am highlighting this is because most often we give enteric-coated aspirin as it is easily available. Dispersible aspirin is difficult to find on the shelves of even major chemists and druggists.
ISIS-2, CURE, COMMIT, CLARITY , PLATO all these are landmark trials which showed the unparalleled benefits of early administration of anti platelet agents in Acute Myocardial Infarction.
A total of 25-30 Lives can be saved just by early institution of these drugs.