Heart Attack

What is heart attack?

A situation occurs when the coronary artery (the artery that supplies blood to the heart) gets blocked by a clot and blood supply stops in the heart due to blockage this situation can lead to a heart attack.

When there is a breakdown in the plaque and a clot the coronary artery gets blocked or partially blocked which results in heart muscle death.

Another name for heart attack is myocardial infarction which is very dangerous and can even lead to the death of the patients, however, there are lots of treatments available nowadays to deal with this type of situation. If you suspect yourself or near you. We request you to call your local emergency number to save the life of the patient.?

What are the causes of heart attack?

When there is a clot in the coronary artery and artery gets blocked or partially blocked because blood supplies don’t take place and further we get the cells and tissue get damaged or die.

In this type of situation, every minute is important so that the loss of tissue or cells will be less and after the treatment, the heart works normally.

As discussed earlier there can be two types of situations either blockage or partial blockage. If there is a complete blockage then it is said to be ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and if it is a partial blockage then it is said to be non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). This is the medical terminology used by doctors to differentiate heart attacks and give treatment accordingly.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack?

The following are the signs and symptoms of a heart attack is as under:

·???????? compulsion or tightness in the chest

·???????? vomiting, dyspepsia, heartburn, or abdominal pain

·???????? Shortness of breath

·???????? Cold wetness

·???????? Exhausted

·???????? sudden dizziness.

However, symptoms vary from person to person some may feel mild chest pain, others may feel severe chest pain, and some patients do not have symptoms; for others, the first sign is having a cardiac arrest. If patients have more signs and symptoms the greater the chance of heart attack.

Some heart attacks come very quietly, but many other heart attacks come with warning signs and symptoms hours, days, or weeks in advance. The quick signs may be chest pain or pressure (angina) that’s triggered by the efforts and difficulties of rest. If there is less blood flow then angina takes place in your chest.

How do doctors diagnose a heart attack?

It depends upon the doctor's style and which guidelines they follow as some diagnostic machines which being used that whether patients are having heart attacks or not. The details are as under:

Electrocardiogram (ECG):

This test is used to see whether patients are having proper Impulses or not. As electrodes are attached to the skin waves are displayed to monitor and can also be recorded on the piece of paper while reading these waves doctors can conclude whether the patient is having a heart attack or not.

Blood tests: During the heart attack certain enzymes will be released and that can be found in the blood. So, during an emergency doctors or their staff take a patient’s blood sample to see whether that enzyme is present or not.

Additional test:

If the above test doesn’t confirm the heart attack then the doctor may ask to do the following tests:

Chest X-ray:

The doctor will check the size of your heart and blood vessels in the image they also see that fluid is there in the patient’s lungs to confirm the heart attack with the help of a chest image taken with the help of X-ray machines.

Echocardiogram:

Sound waves that are controlled by the rod-like device (transducer) that is connected with your heart on chest bounce i.e. off your heart and its procedure electronically that provide you a video image of the patient’s heart. This will help the doctor to see which part of the patient’s heart is being damaged or if is it pumping normally or not. ?

Coronary catheterization (angiogram)

A long thin tube (catheter) in which liquid dye is attached, that is being injected into the arteries of the patient’s heart. The catheter is being injected through the leg or genitals to the arteries in the patient’s heart. The role of dye is to make arteries visible on X-rays which gives aidea to the doctor where is the blockage in the patient's heart.

Exercise stress test

In this test, the doctor tells the patient to walk on a treadmill or in-house bicycle in which ECG is attached to the patient's body to monitor the patient's heart during real-time stress how patient heart if they may get a drug dose to encourage the heart same when the patient's body is in exercise condition.

The nuclear test is also there that is somewhat advanced the exercise stress test, in this test doctor performs the same test as what exercise stress test but the only difference is that a dye is inserted into the procedure detailed image of the patient at the time of exercising.

Cardiac CT or MRI

In a cardiac CT scan patient lies down on a table inside Danish shape machine. There is an X-ray tube inside a machine that rotates around the patient's body to collect the images of the heart and chest. With this test, doctors can diagnose heart problems including the damages that occur after a heart attack.

In cardiac MRI, the patient lies down on a table that looks like a long tube. This machine generates a magnetic field. This magnetic field helps cells to line up with atomic particles that are released through a magnetic field. When radio waves transmit towards this line of particles, they generate signals that vary as per the type of tissue they are. These signals help to create images of the heart on the screen.

What are the treatment options?

In the case of a heart attack, every minute is important because the doctor’s main objective is to save tissues of the heart. After all, once it starts declining then there will be permanent damage to the heart. So, to save tissues of the heart they have to unblock the blockages in the heart so that blood can supply in the heart and it starts pumping normally.

Medications:

As a heart attack comes in an emergency so first step is to call your local emergency number and explain the situation. Before the emergency team reaches you, they might give you instructions on what to do. T may tell you to give certain medication at the time of emergency so that the situation may not get worse.

Aspirin:

The operator or emergency team gives aspirin to the patient so that the clot that is formed in the heart might get reduced and blood can flow in small arteries also.

Thrombolytics:

These are very effective drugs at the time of heart attack. This drug helps to clear the clot that blocks blood flow to the heart. This drug should be given as early as possible after a heart attack so that the survival chance increases and less damage occurs at the time of heart attack.

Antiplatelet agents:

To prevent patients from new clots so existing clots don’t get larger for this reason emergency care doctors give antiplatelet medicine.

Blood thinning medication

To make the patient’s blood less sticky or less likely to form a clot for that heparin is given, in two ways heparin is given one by intravenous or by injection under the skin.

Pain relievers

To relieve the pain doctor may give you pain relief like morphine.

Nitro-glycerine

Treating chest pain (angina) also helps to improve blood flow to the heart by expanding the blood vessels.

Beta Blockers:

This medication will restrict the damage to heart muscles and also take precautions for future heart attacks. Its effect is to relax the heart muscles, and gently decrease the heartbeat and blood pressure.

ACE Inhibitors:

This medication lowers blood pressure and helps in reducing the stress level of the heart.

Statin:

This medication helps in controlling cholesterol in the blood.

Surgical and other procedures

Coronary angioplasty or stenting:

This procedure is also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), if the patient is having a heart attack then there is a procedure called cardiac catheterization in this procedure doctor finds the blockages they have to find the blockages then most of the doctor immediately PCI, doctor takes a long thin tube (catheter) which they pass it through the artery. The route they select may be genitals or from the wrist, from there they reach the blocked artery in the patient's heart.

Depending on the patient's condition, they might get a coated stent (gently releases the medication to open up the artery) or a metal mash stent, it depends upon the doctor which one best fits for the patient. As we have discussed the catheter in this procedure a special balloon is attached to the catheter and once the catheter is in position, it blows up to make space in the blocked coronary artery then stent is placed to open up the blocked artery for a longer period so that blood flow can reimpose to that coronary artery.

Coronary artery bypass surgery:

At the time of heart attack, some of the patients have to undergo bypass surgery. The objective of bypass surgery is to pass the blood flow up to the narrow arteries of the heart. So, stitching of a vein or artery takes place during the time of surgery that is beyond a blocked and narrow artery.

Once the blood flow reimposes and the patient is stable, then they have to stay in the hospital under the observation of the doctor.

Cardiac rehabilitation program:

Most of the hospital offers this cardiac rehab program. In this program, patients benefited in such a way that they lived longer and had negligible chance of another heart attack.

A cardiac rehab program mainly focuses on four main parameters medication, lifestyle, emotional issues, and return back to normal activities so that patients come to normal condition.