What is LAD blockage?

The LAD transports a large amount of blood into your heart, so without blood passing through the LAD, your heart can quickly run out of oxygen and stop beating. The LAD most commonly gets blocked up with plaque from cholesterol. This condition is known as atherosclerosis, often called the “hardening of the arteries.”

What is Widowmaker?

A widowmaker is an informal term for a heart attack that involves 100 percent blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, says Stanley Chetcuti, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center.

Do you know the signs of an impending heart attack?

Others have jaw pain or back pain. Still others become breathless, or extremely fatigued, or nauseated. Chest pain is only one of the possible signs of an impending heart attack. If you notice one or more of the signs below in yourself or someone else, call 911 or your local emergency number right away.

When should you go to the hospital for chest pains?

When chest pains are serious. Call 911 or your local emergency number to summon an emergency medical crew. It will whisk you to the hospital in a vehicle full of equipment that can start the diagnosis and keep you stable if your heart really is in trouble.

What makes you worry that chest pain is serious?

What makes you worry that chest pain is serious, like a heart attack. Millions of Americans with chest pain are seen in hospital emergency departments every year. Only 20\% of them are diagnosed with a heart attack or an episode of unstable angina, a warning sign that a heart attack may happen soon.

How common is chest pain in the emergency department?

Millions of Americans with chest pain are seen in hospital emergency departments every year. Only 20\% of them are diagnosed with a heart attack or an episode of unstable angina, a warning sign that a heart attack may happen soon.