Heartburn or heart attack: Can you tell the difference?
Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Heartburn or heart attack: Can you tell the difference?

With all the indulging that’s done over the holiday season, it’s easy to write off burning and pain in the chest to heartburn and carry on. But did you know that more people die from heart attacks during the last week of December than at any other time of the year?

Given your life is literally on the line, it’s important to understand how heart attacks and heartburn differ and what symptoms should make you concerned.

Even though the symptoms of heartburn and a heart attack—a painful sensation or feeling of pressure at the center of your chest—can be nearly indistinguishable, the causes of the discomfort are quite different.

In the case of a heart attack, pain is experienced when one of the arteries supplying blood to the heart becomes clogged. Heartburn, on the other hand, occurs when acid in the stomach flows back up the esophagus, causing a burning sensation or pain in the center of your chest. So, despite its name, heartburn has nothing to do with your heart, but the location of the pain experienced is often very close to the heart.

While both conditions can lead to a painful sensation or feeling of pressure at the center of your chest, there are some symptoms unique to each that can help you determine if you’re facing a life-threatening medical emergency or not. For example:

  • Heartburn tends to occur after eating and causes temporary discomfort or burning anywhere from the upper abdomen to the throat.
  • A heart attack can cause sweating, shortness of breath, dizziness or lightheadedness; nausea and/or vomiting, weakness or discomfort in the arm or shoulder, and pain, numbness, or tingling in the neck or jaw.
  • Heartburn cause bloating, belching, a bad taste in the mouth, a sore throat, or difficulty swallowing. 
  • A heart attacks can occur at any time and may come on slowly or very suddenly with symptoms ranging from mild to severe
  • Heartburn is often described as a burning or stabbing sensation while the pain from a heart attack is said to feel like pressure, tightness, squeezing, or heaviness.

In many cases, even healthcare providers cannot tell the difference between heartburn and a heart attack by symptoms alone. Further complicating things is the fact that the symptoms of a heart attack can vary dramatically from person to person and are often strikingly different between men and women. Additional screenings, including electrocardiograms (ECGs) and blood work, are essential to ensuring the correct diagnosis.

Anyone who suspects that they or someone else is having a heart attack should immediately call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room. It’s always better to learn you have heartburn at the hospital than to remain at home and suffer a life-altering—or -ending—heart attack.

If you are experiencing recurring heartburn, contact your doctor. Left untreated it can lead to serious problems including inflammation and narrowing of the esophagus, dental decay, aspiration pneumonia, and even cancer.

Scott Rogge, MD, FACC, is the medical director at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Cardiology.

 

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SVMC Creates Virtual Waiting Room to Encourage Distancing

BENNINGTON, VT—May 29, 2020—Starting Monday, many people who need in-person appointments at Southwestern Vermont Health Care's (SVHC) hospital and clinics will no longer need to use traditional waiting rooms. A virtual system created by the hospital allows patients to call 802-447-5000 when they arrive in the parking lot and receive a text message when their provider is ready to see them.

SVMC's outpatient and inpatient surgeries and diagnostic services, like those for imaging and laboratory work, have resumed with enhanced safety protocols per the directive of Governor Phil Scott. The health system's emergency department, ExpressCare, emergency surgical services, and most of its primary and specialty practices remained open during the pandemic.

"SVHC has provided safe, high-quality care throughout the pandemic." Said Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) president and CEO. "Innovation has been an important part of providing care during these extraordinary times and this new program decreases the number of people in our waiting rooms and allows them to stay the recommended 6 feet apart or more."

In order to use the virtual waiting room, patients must be able to wait in their vehicle and have a charged cell phone with them. They will receive the virtual waiting room telephone number during their appointment-reminder telephone call. Signs outside the building and at the respiratory check-in stations inside the main hospital and medical office building entrances will also include the number to call.

Patients simply call the number when they arrive in the parking lot and wait in their cars. When the provider is ready to see them, they will receive a text message alert to indicate that they should come in.

"We love that we can use the same technology that most people carry with them to help people stay socially distanced," said Gail Balch, RN, who directs information technology at SVMC. "It's through innovations like this one that we are able to resume services safely and ensure patients receive the care they need."

Hospital and clinic staff anticipate that the new program will allow greater distance between people who must use traditional waiting rooms, including those who walked or took public transportation to their appointment and those who do not have a cell phone.

Additional safety protocols indicate that all patients should arrive to the hospital or clinic with their own cloth face covering. Face coverings must be worn over the mouth and nose for the entire duration of patients' visits. Patients should also come alone, unless they absolutely need assistance from a loved one.

For questions about how to resume or initiate elective care, call your primary care provider or the specialist directly. For a list of providers, visit svhealthcare.org/physician-directory.

Patients with cough or shortness of breath or any two of the following—fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell—should contact their primary care provider or the COVID-19 Informational Hotline at 802-440-8844 before arriving to either their provider’s office or the hospital. For a detailed list of safety protocols, frequently asked questions, visitor guidelines, and COVID-19 information, visit svhealthcare.org.

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