01.What is the heart Attack?
A heart attack
occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked (often by a blood
clot). This happens because coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood
slowly become thicker and harder from a build-up of fat, cholesterol and other
substances, called plaque. If the plaque breaks open and a blood clot forms
that blocks the blood flow, a heart attack occurs. Then the heart muscle
supplied by that artery begins to die. Damage increases the longer an artery
stays blocked. Once that muscle dies, the result is permanent heart damage.
An Also there is a sudden complete blockage of
an artery that supplies blood to an area of your heart. A heart is a muscle,
and it needs a good blood supply to keep it healthy. As we get older, the
smooth inner walls of the arteries that supply the blood to the heart can
become damaged and narrow due to the buildup of fatty materials, called plaque.
When an area of plaque breaks, blood cells and other parts of the blood stick
to the damaged area and form blood clots. A heart attack occurs when a blood
clot completely blocks the flow of blood and seriously reduces blood flow to
the heart muscle. This also results in patients experiencing chest pain. As a
result, some of the heart muscle starts to die. The longer the blockage is left
untreated, the more the heart muscle is damaged. If the blood flow is not
restored quickly, the damage to the heart muscle is permanent. A heart disease is sometimes called a myocardial infarction (MI), acute myocardial
infarction, coronary occlusion or coronary thrombosis.
02.Types of Heart Attack?
NSTEMI Heart Attacks
A non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is a type of
heart disease
that does not show a change in the
ST segment elevation on an electrocardiogram and that results in less damage to
the patient’s heart. However, these patients will test positively for a protein
called troponin in their blood that is released from the heart muscle when it
is damaged. In NSTEMI heart disease,it is likely that any coronary artery
blockages are partial or temporary.
Treatment for an NSTEMI heart attack consists of medication and
evaluation for whether a blockage is present that should be treated with
medication only, cleared through angioplasty or treated with cardiac bypass
graft surgery.
Coronary Artery Spasm
A coronary artery spasm is when the artery wall tightens and blood flow
through the artery is restricted – potentially leading to chest pain, or blood
flow is cut off all together – causing a chest pain. Coronary artery spasm
comes and goes. Because there may not be a build-up of plaque or a blood clot
in the artery, a coronary artery spasm may not be discovered by an imaging test
called an angiogram that is typically performed to check arteries for
blockages.
Treatment for a coronary artery spasm consists of medications such as
nitrates and calcium channel blockers.
Demand Ischemia
Demand ischemia is another type of heart disease for which blockages in the arteries may not be present. It occurs when
a patient’s heart needs more oxygen than is available in the body’s supply. It
may occur in patients with infection, anemia, or tachyarrhythmias (abnormally
fast heart rates). Blood tests will show the presence of enzymes that indicate
damage to the heart muscle.
Cardiac Arrest (not a heart attack)
In cardiac arrest, a person’s heart stops beating. Cardiac arrest is not
the same thing as a heart attack, but it is worth discussing alongside heart disease. Cardiac arrest can occur due to a chest pain, but cardiac arrest can
also occur as a primary event. In other words, cardiac arrest can also occur
for other reasons besides a blockage in the artery. These other reasons include
electrolyte disturbances, such as low or high potassium or low magnesium,
congenital abnormalities, or poor pumping function of the heart.
In a heart attack, a person’s heart keeps beating. A chest pain can
cause life-threatening arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms), like ventricular
tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF). These arrhythmias result in
cardiac arrest within a few minutes because the heart is not pumping blood to
the lungs to pick up vital oxygen that circulates back to the heart and to the
body.
Seconds count in treating both chest pain and cardiac arrest. With
cardiac arrest, the odds of survival go down by about 10 percent for every
minute until the person is resuscitated. After 10 minutes the risk of permanent
brain injury is very high.
Initial treatment will consist of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
and defibrillation – delivery of an electrical shock to restore the heart’s
rhythm. For people who are resuscitated and have a heartbeat but do not regain
consciousness, hypothermia protocols are sometimes used, where the body is
cooled for 24 hours then gradually warmed. This has been shown to improve the
odds of a good neurological outcome for those patients.
03.Heart Attack Symptom
These are the most
common warning signs of a heart disease. You may have just one of these symptoms, or a
combination
Discomfort or pain in your chest
This can often feel
like a heaviness, tightness or pressure. People who have had a disease have commonly described it as like “an elephant sitting on my chest”, “a
belt that’s been tightened around my chest” or “bad indigestion”.
The discomfort may spread to various parts of
your upper body.
Discomfort in your arm(s), shoulder(s), neck,
jaw or back
You may have a choking feeling in your throat.
Your arms may feel heavy or useless.
feel short of breath
feel nauseous
have a cold sweat
feel dizzy or light-headed.
04.Treatement for chest pain
If you think you’re
having a heart attack, call Imagency Hospital service. Don’t hang up. Ask the
operator for an ambulance. Too many people lose their lives because they wait
too long to get treatment for heart disease.
There is a high risk
of dangerous changes to your heartbeat after the start of a chest pain. The
most serious changes stop your heart beating and cause a cardiac arrest.
Ambulance or hospital staff may use a defibrillator to give your heart a
controlled electric shock that may make it start beating again.
Admit in Hospital
you will receive
treatments that help to reduce damage to your heart, and to help prevent future
problems. You may need to have a procedure like:
angioplasty and stent
implantation
bypass surgery (also
known as coronary artery bypass grafts or CABG).
How Do I reduce my risk for a heart attack?
· Start
making changes in your life now to reduce your risk of having another heart seasek. Eathear thealthy meals, be more physically active, reach and maintain a
healthy weight, and don’t smoke.
· Talk with
your doctor and nurses about how you can live as normal a life as possible. Ask
how soon you can go back to work, drive a car, have sex, and what to do if you
have chest discomfort. They can answer your questions about other matters, too.
·
Talk with
your healthcare provider about joining a cardiac rehabilitation program in your
area.
· and avoid second-hand smoke.
·
Treat high
blood pressure, if you have it.
·
Eat a
healthy diet that’s low in saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium (salt).
·
Get at
least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week.
·
Reach and
maintain a healthy weight.
·
Control
your blood sugar if you have diabetes.
·
See your
doctor for regular check-ups.
·
Take your
medicines exactly as prescribed
Best
Of Luck …!
