California cardiologist with 20 years of experience shares how to 'catch early cardiac signals before an emergency'

Dr Bhojraj shares a 5-step guide to spot hidden fatigue, subtle chest or arm discomfort, ask the right questions, check your risk factors, get checked early.

A common refrain among patients who have just experienced a cardiac scare is, “I never saw the signs.” Now, a California cardiologist with 20 years of experience has shared a simple framework he developed to help people interpret the ‘silent warnings’ their bodies may be sending.

The challenge of silent warnings

Dr Sanjay Bhojraj, a cardiologist from California, US, took to Instagram on December 10 to share his expertise in a post titled, “The most common thing I hear from patients after a cardiac scare is 'I never saw the signs'.” Dr Bhojraj said that while some doctors believe heart trouble symptoms are 'obvious enough' to notice, his daily interactions with patients tell a different story.

“A few years ago, a doctor told me that most people would catch the signs of heart trouble early, that the symptoms were 'obvious enough' to notice. But day after day, I meet patients who say the same heartbreaking sentence: 'I never saw the signs',” Dr Bhojraj said. He added that these patients were often engaged in seemingly healthy habits, such as exercising and eating healthy, yet their bodies were still sending warnings they didn't know how to interpret.

Introducing the H.E.A.R.T. method

To address this critical gap, Dr Bhojraj shared that he created the H.E.A.R.T. method, a five-step framework designed to help people catch early cardiac signals before they escalate into an emergency. He said, “I created the H.E.A.R.T. method, a simple framework to help you catch early cardiac signals before they become an emergency.”

Here's what he said about the H.E.A.R.T. method:

H: Hidden patterns
notice subtle shifts – fatigue, disrupted sleep, shortness of breath you blame on 'being out of shape'.

E: Everyday symptoms
– track recurring chest tightness, jaw or arm discomfort, or heart flutters — even if they feel mild.

A: Ask better questions
– not “Is this serious?” but “Is this new, persistent, or getting worse?”

R: Risk reality – check
stress, genetics, diet, and lifestyle compound quietly, not overnight.

T: Take action early – schedule evaluations before symptoms escalate. Preventive care saves lives long before emergency care tries to.

The power of proactive prevention

According to Dr Bhojraj, shifting focus from 'watching the wrong signs' to implementing the H.E.A.R.T. method moves patients from a state of being 'anxious, reactive, and confused to confident, informed, and proactive'.

He concluded that the side effect of this proactive approach often extends beyond heart health, leading to an improvement in the patient's entire lifestyle: “And the side effect? They often end up improving not just their heart health, but their entire lifestyle. Caring for your heart isn’t as hard as it feels. Many people are simply watching the wrong signs. When you learn the ones that truly matter, prevention becomes your strongest tool.”

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.