Most Common Symptoms Of A Heart Attack

Shortness Of Breath

Part of the function of the heart is to pump blood from the veins to the lungs so it can undergo carbon dioxide exchange for oxygen. The blood then moves back to the heart, where the muscle pumps it back out to the tissues around the body. When the heart is unable to beat properly, blood can back up in the veins. Oxygen-poor blood is unable to reach the lungs for reoxygenation effectively. The affected individual's brain detects the low oxygen levels and tells the lungs to breath faster and harder in attempts to increase the intake of oxygen. This mechanism is meant to concentrate more oxygen into the blood to improve the conditions of poor oxygen saturation. However, larger amounts of oxygen reaching the lungs cannot provide the rest of the body with a greater amount of oxygenated blood if the heart is unable to pump it back out. During a heart attack, an affected individual may describe feeling like they are unable to breathe in enough air or are short of breath.

Read more about the major symptoms of a heart attack now.