HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Is A Heart Attack Very Painful?

Posted on Wed, 4 Feb 2015

Question: my father was in a nursing home for 3 months and passed away from a heart attack
just wondering if dad would have felt anything when he had the heart attack pain wise
he had long term heart problems,people have told me the nurses would have had him drugged heavy he wouldn't have felt anything he slept most of the day didn't eat he's body just gave up didn't eat i stress about it night and day i just hope he didn't suffer

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
He didn't

Detailed Answer:
Hi friend
Welcome to Health Care Magic

Most likely, he did not have pain and he did not suffer
This is especially true in long term problems / when the end is sudden / as also in in diabetics
It could have been a heart attack / an arrhythmia / Pulmonary embolism
May his soul rest in peace

Good luck
God bless you

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (14 minutes later)

thanks for you reply i just fear of when you have a heart attack there is pain when the heart sstops or does the body release endorphins or something i guess the nursing home would have managed he's discomfort with drugs

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
No need to fear

Detailed Answer:
Hi

When the heart stops, the blood circulation stops / there is no blood flow to any part and the brain has no time or capacity to secrete endorphins
Pain occurs when there is demand for more oxygen (blood) / the demand is there only when it works…
In a nursing home setting, nothing is likely to be missed / everything would have been done

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (41 hours later)

dad passed away from a MI heart attack and passed in minutes i guess he would not have felt any pain in that minute he complain to the nurse and me when i was there there that he couldn't breath and was angry,with me and nurses,that he coulnt keep he ventolin with him the nurse said she went to get his ventolin ad came back he was gone

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Sudden death is the first sign in one fourth of patients...

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Breathlessness in such situations is mostly from Left heart failure, which in turn is from massive heart attack
Ventolin, very likely, might not have helped
At times, pain and breathlessness are misinterpreted, and can occur together…
May his soul rest in peace – blessed die without suffering

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (3 minutes later)

I hope he passed without pain I am stressed if he did feel anything when hes heart stopped beating or do you fall unconsius before you pass away

when you do pass away do you feel pain at all with the last breath in all causes of death cancer heart attck etc

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (8 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Not all

Detailed Answer:
Hi

I don’t think he had pain –
if he had, he should have said so – He might have asked for pain medicine and not/ not asked for ventolin
When the circulation stops, it is a matter of minutes to lose consciousness – all the events occur almost simultaneously…
Few - not all - people feel pain / depending on the underlying cause...

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (4 minutes later)

so you lose consciousness before you pass away so in that case you wouldn't feel anything if you are unconsciousness when you have a heart attack

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
One feels nothing, if not conscious

Detailed Answer:
Of course, the unconsciousness couldn’t feel
Unconsciousness could be the result of heart attack
Both could have been due to a third cause
Pain is only a symptom, that draws attention… Absence of pain does not mean absence of disease / nor its presence and severity is not related to disease or its severity

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (1 hour later)

thanks for your reply it is abit hard to understand maybe because it is in doctors words so when dad passed away from myocardio infaction he would have gone into unconscious straight away the release of endorphins then had the heart attack
so he would not have felt any pain when the heart stopped

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (49 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Yes

Detailed Answer:
yes - he would not have felt any pain

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar