In women, the symptoms can be more subtle, like neck or jaw pain, nausea and lightheadedness. It causes the same symptoms as a heart attack caused by a blockage in a different artery, including chest pain, chest heaviness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness and cold sweats. A lot of damage can beĭone to the heart muscle if blood flow isn’t restored quickly.īut, you can’t tell that someone is having a widowmaker heart attack from the outside. Rampersad explains.īecause it serves such a big portion of the heart, the LADĪrtery is a particularly dangerous place to get a clot. ![]() “This artery delivers a major amount of blood to your heart,” Dr. That’s what causes those classic heart attack symptoms like shortness of breath cold sweats and severe chest pain, tightness or pressure.Ī widowmaker heart attack occurs when the left anteriorĭescending (LAD) artery, which supplies blood to the larger, front part of the “If there’s no blood flow to the heart, the heart muscles become deprived of oxygen and vital nutrients and heart muscle damage starts immediately,” says cardiologist Penelope Rampersad, MD, MSc, FRCPC. Heart attacks occur when blood clots form around plaque that builds on the walls of one or more of those arteries, blocking blood from flowing. (In case you need a refresher, the coronary arteries carry blood to all the regions of the heart to keep the muscle pumping faithfully.) There are three main arteries in the heart - one on the right side and two on the left side. The answer starts with the particular artery that it affects. ![]() But what is it, and why is it called that? ![]() You may have heard of the so-called “widowmaker” heartĪttack in the news or on a TV show. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
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