One of the most common questions in our CPR classes is whether or not a women's heart attack symptoms are the same as a mans. The answer to this is both yes and no. Women are "more likely" to have an atypical presentation when having a cardiac emergency but can and do have symptoms just like those of a man under the same circumstances. Anyone can present with a common set of symptoms such as chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath and pain radiating in the left arm to the jaw.

But many people, both men and women, do not have a common set of symptoms and will often not even realize that they are having a heart attack. Some will have no symptoms at all and go from heart attack to cardiac arrest almost immediately. While it is important understand the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, it is equally important to recognize that we cannot always detect heart attacks as they are often silent.

Symptoms can be as mild as nausea and weakness or one can simply "feel ill". With these type of symptoms it is almost impossible to recognize the seriousness of the matter until is strikes in full force. Training can help ensure that one not only recognizes some of the common symptoms of cardiac emergencies but responds appropriately to those which result in a cardiac arrest because they were silent.