Pain Characteristics at the Patients Experienced Myocardial Infarction and Factors Influencing Pain

The study, aimed to determine pain characteristics resulting from myocardial infarction and factors influencing pain, had descriptive and cross-sectional method. The research completed with 89 patients in Yüksek İhtisas Eğitim ve Araştırma Sağlık İşletmesi, cardiology inpatient clinic between January 3-June 30, 2011. The questionnaire developed by the researcher with literature review was used for the data collection; pain evaluated with 10 cm- visual analog scale. More than half of the patient experienced myocardial infarction at home (62.9%), when sitting, resting, watching television or sleeping (59.6%). Additionally, more than half of the patient experienced pain on pre-cordial-left chest area, between 10 minutes and 2 hours (52.8%) and at 8-10 severity (85.4%) and burning (53.9%). More than half of the patient applied to the hospital’s emergency department within first one hour after experiencing heart attack (53.9%) and majority did not practice anything till going to the hospital (73%). Pain severity was lower at 1.00 and 6.00 comparing to other time intervals during day. Moreover, male comparing to female and people living in urban comparing to rural were identified to apply to an emergency department earlier following myocardial infarction. A weak, negative correlation was found between monthly income and time for emergency department application.