‘Silent’ Heart Attacks Occur More Often Than Though

When a person experiences a silent heart attack, symptoms are usually nonexistent or very mild, and unlike those of a regular heart attack. For this reason, silent heart attacks often go undetected and untreated. A recent study published in peer-reviewed journal PLoS Medicine has found that these silent heart attacks are more common than previously thought. The study, which was conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center, examined 185 patients with coronary artery disease who had no history of a heart attack. Researchers used delayed enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DE-CMR), which showed evidence of a heart attack in 35 percent of the study participants. They also found that silent heart attacks, also known as non-Q-wave unrecognized myocardial infarctions (UMIs), were three times as common as Q-wave UMIs, and occurred most often in those with severe coronary artery disease.

After following study participants for about two years, researchers found that those patients who had experienced a silent heart attack were 17 times more likely to die from heart problems than those participants with no damage to their heart. Study participants with a history of a silent heart attack were also 11 times more likely to die from any cause than those who had not experienced a heart attack. Silent heart attacks do not cause irregularities as a normal heart attack would, so they cannot be detected on electrocardiograms (EKGs). This makes it even less likely that a person will discover they have experienced a silent heart attack. There are no recommenced treatment for silent heart attacks, since most patients are unaware of the occurrence. If a silent heart attack is discovered, treatment is usually similar to that of a patient with coronary heart disease. If you or a loved one has experienced a delay in diagnosis or treatment of a serious heart problem, please call or e-mail the personal injury attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. We serve clients with Brooklyn medical malpractice, Bronx medical malpractice, Manhattan medical malpractice, Queens medical malpractice and Long Island medical malpractice cases. We also serve clients located in Staten Island and Westchester County.

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