Heart attact symptoms

Posted By  CCF Cardio MD-SGM on September 24, 1997 at 19:28:59:

In Reply to: Heart attact symptoms posted by J  Stanov on September 20, 1997 at 15:41:13:

:   I am a 64 year old male who underwent bypass heart surgury this year.
   My recovery from this surgury is deemed normal . I have been on an
   exercise regimin of aerobic and anerobic exercises of about one hour
   twice a week for the last 5 months, additionally, I walk one and one half
   miles three or four times a week. The last two or three months I have
   noticed a "tingling or very light numbing sensation" in the fingers of my
   right hand. The sensation is very faint but comes and goes throughout
   the day. I have not brought this up with my primary care physician or
   cardiologist as yet but intent to do so. Is this sympton a warning of poten-
   tial heart attact or stroke?
      
                                                        Thanks for your help.
  

[CCF Cardio MD-SGM]

Dear J,
The symptoms you describe are not traditional, or classic, symptoms of coronary ischemia.  In considering whether the tingling in the right hand is due to coronary disease that persists after bypass surgery, we must ask whether this symptom is reminiscent of how you felt prior to your surgery.   If it is a new sensation, it is less likely to be related to your heart.  However, it is also true that many people experience symptoms of coronary disease that are "atypical",  or unusual.  In taking a history,  I would want to know whether these symptoms are related to physical activity, and how long they last.  Symptoms not related to exertion and lasting less than a minute are less likely to be cardiac in origin. Although one must always be vigilant for recurrence of coronary disease after bypass surgery, your symptoms would not be typical heralding signs. The fact that you exercise regularly without developing this tingling is also reassuring, but I would recommend a yearly exercise test to continue to evaluate the possibility of recurrent coronary ischemia.
Other causes of your symptoms are principally neurologic.  A transient ischemic injury to the brain, or TIA, may cause focal numbness or tingling, but often weakness is associated as well, and you did not describe the latter symptom.  I think it would be prudent to discuss this problem with your primary care physician, and/or your cardiologist as you intend to do.
Information provided in the Heart Forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only. Actual diagnosis and treatment of any particular medical condition can only be made by your family physician(s).