# Did I have a heart attack (do NOT need answer fast)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-have-a-heart-attack-do-not-need-answer-fast/651029>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 22, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-have-a-heart-attack-do-not-need-answer-fast/651029 "2013-02-22T00:36:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-have-a-heart-attack-do-not-need-answer-fast/651029/21 "2013-02-22T18:18:56Z")

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> [@phouka](#):
>
> Hey, Dinsday, when you say residuals, are you talking about damage to the heart or related sequellae? Is there such a thing as a “heart attack” that isn’t a myocardial infarction? Would that be an arrhythmia or something similar? What would count as a heart attack but have no residuals. Really curious minds want to know.

You can indeed have a “heart attack” (used to mean an interruption in blood flow) without an actual blockage, due to [coronary artery spasm](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000159.htm), and can even result in damage if it lasts long enough; otherwise, it can result in temporary ECG changes.

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**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-have-a-heart-attack-do-not-need-answer-fast/651029/22 "2013-03-02T02:59:26Z")

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Status update: Yeah, I’m gonna die.

But then, we all are. In my case, it’ll have nothing to do with any EKGs done 6+ years ago. I saw the doc today for a routine followup for something else, showed him the EKG in question. He said something about spotting one Q-wave on one lead (III, I think - which is NOT one of the ones the report cited). He used the phrase “this is essentially a normal EKG”. And I believe he said “bullshit” about the comments on the report (or maybe it was about insurance reviewers in general).

So the bottom line is, I didn’t die 6 years ago ;). He’ll redo the EKG in a few months when I go in for a full physical, but saw absolutely nothing alarming on the old ones.

So now, I wonder: do I try to have that note expunged from my MIB record? It’ll age off in about 18 months anyway, I think.

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