Definition
A heart attack is the death of heart
muscle from the sudden blockage of a
coronary artery by a blood clot. Coronary
arteries are blood vessels that supply the
heart muscle with blood and oxygen.
Risk factors for heart attack include:
•Bad genes (hereditary factors)
•Being male
•Diabetes
•Getting older
•High blood pressure
•Smoking
•Too much fat in your diet
•Unhealthy cholesterol levels, especially high
LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and low HDL
(“good”) cholesterol
Treatment
A heart attack is a medical emergency; if any
symptoms of a heart attack are present medical help
must be requested immediately. The health care team
will give you oxygen. Many different medicines are
used to treat and prevent heart attacks. Surgery may
be also needed.
•Nitroglycein: helps reduce chest pain.
•Antiplatelet: medicines help prevent clot formation.
(Aspirin)
•Beta-blockers: help reduce the strain on the heart
and lower blood pressure. (atenolol )
•ACE inhibitors: are used to prevent heart failure and
lower blood pressure. (ramipril)
•Surgery: A procedure called angioplasty may be
needed to open blocked coronary arteries. Some
people may need emergency coronary artery bypass
surgery (CABG).
Causes
Most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot that
blocks one of the coronary arteries. The coronary
arteries bring blood & oxygen to the heart. If the
blood flow is blocked, the heart starves for oxygen
and heart cells die. A clot most often forms in a
coronary artery that has become narrow because
of the build-up of a substance called plaque along
the artery walls. Occasionally, sudden
overwhelming stress can trigger a heart attack.
Symptoms
•Chest Pain(pain may be severe or mild/may feel as
squeezing, heavy pressure)
•Nausea or vomiting
•Anxiety
•Cough
•Shortness of breath
•Fainting
•Lightheadedness - dizziness
•Palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating too
fast)
•Sweating, which may be extreme
•Heartburn and/or indigestion
•Arm pain (more commonly the left arm, but may
be either arm)
Shuman C. Tracy. , Bryg J. Robert. Heart Attacks. Web MD. 2005-2009.
<http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart_disease_heart_attacks>