The LAD supplies a significant portion of the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood.

Just as your cells require oxygen-rich blood, your heart does also.

The LAD runs on the left side of the heart before traveling down its front surface.

Widowmaker Heart Attack

Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health

In over half of people, the LAD also wraps around the bottom of the heart.

The sensation is often reported as crushing, pressure-like, tight, squeezing, dull, or heavy.

It may be felt primarily in the arm or jaw in addition to or instead of the chest.

Do not drive yourself or have someone drive you.

However, the localization of the pain and the action to seek medical attention tend to vary.

Older adults and individuals with diabetes are more vulnerable to experiencing silent heart attacks.

As a result, the heart stops receiving the oxygen it needs to pump and function.

What Happens During a PCI?

PCIs are performed in a hospitalcardiac catheterizationlaboratory.

That said, over 25% are readmitted to the hospital within three months of discharge.

To prevent a second heart attack, it’s vital to follow your healthcare team’s post-op instructions.

The LAD supplies around half of the heart’s blood supply.

A critical portion of the heart muscle can die and stop beating when it’s clogged.

2020;9(7):e015539.

doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015539

American Heart Association.Warning signs of a heart attack.

A systematic review of the literature with meta-analysis.J Clin Med.

2022;11(5):1319. doi:10.3390/jcm11051319

American Heart Association.Heart attack symptoms in women.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart attack: symptoms.

2021;144(2):e16-e35.

doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000985

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart attack: treatment.

Reeder GS, Kennedy HL.Overview of the acute management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

2022;145(3):e4-e17.

doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001039

American Heart Association.Life after a heart attack.

American Heart Association.Understanding your risks to prevent a heart attack.