What Is The Treatment For Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Sudden cardiac arrest can be treated and reversed, but emergency action must take place immediately. Survival can be as high as 90 percent if treatment is initiated within the first minutes after sudden cardiac arrest. The rate decreases by about 10 percent each minute longer. Those who survive have a good long-term outlook.
When Can I Resume My Usual Activities
Recovery from a heart attack after youre released from the hospital depends on the severity of the heart attack, how soon treatment began, methods used and the health conditions you had if any before your heart attack. Your healthcare provider can explain the next steps for your recovery and what you can expect. In general, most people can return to work or resume their usual activities anywhere between two weeks to three months after their heart attack.
Recovering From A Heart Attack
The time it takes to recover from a heart attack will depend on the amount of damage to your heart muscle.
Most people can return to work after having a heart attack. Some people are well enough to return to work after 2 weeks. Other people may take several months to recover. How quickly you can go back to work depends on your health, the state of your heart and the type of work you do.
The recovery process aims to:
- reduce your risk of another heart attack through a combination of lifestyle changes , and medicines , which help to lower blood cholesterol levels
- gradually restore your physical fitness so you can resume normal activities
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High Total Cholesterol Doubles The Risk Of Heart Disease
People with high total cholesterol levels have approximately twice the risk of heart disease. Thus, theres an increased heart attack possibility percentage. Thats why one should try their best to manage cholesterol levelslimit alcohol intake, exercise for at least 30 minutes, avoid saturated fat, and quit smoking.
Our Process Is Simple: 3 Easy Steps
STEP 1: Set up a FULL EVALUATION to determine every single factor that caused your heart attack. Its not just about cholesterol.
STEP 2: Get all the TESTING done right where you are. We can draw blood anywhere in the U.S.
STEP 3: Come to Atlanta for your 2-hour consultation with our lipidologist Dr. Hight to review your test results. You will understand every singe factor that caused your heart attack. And once you know what caused it, youll know exactly what to do to about it.
Once you see your arteries getting better, youll be glad you came!
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What To Do In The Event Of A Cardiac Arrest
Almost all instances of SCA are reversible if treated immediately. If you see someone who is experiencing cardiac arrest, call 911 immediately and express the urgent need for emergency medical services.
There are two steps required to restore the victims heart rhythm and save their life:
If at all possible, get your hands on an automatic external defibrillator. Public environments like offices, hotels, or gyms typically have AED devices for cases of emergency. One person should immediately start administering CPR while another person retrieves the defibrillator.
To perform CPR, push down firmly on the victims chest at a rate of 100 to 120 pushes per minute. After each push, wait for the chest to return to its normal position. One common trick is to time your pushes to the beat of the song Stayin Alive. This will help you to maintain the optimal pace. If no AED is available, continue doing this until emergency services arrive.
If an AED is available, turn it on and follow the audible instructions to provide the necessary heart shocks and restore the rhythm. Contemporary AEDs are designed for ease of use, providing voiceand in some cases visualinstructions to guide you through the entire process.
Why Does A Massive Heart Attack Happen
A massive heart attack happens because the artery that branches off from your aorta gets blocked and backs up. This is what makes it so fatal, as theres often little to no warning before symptoms set
Why does a massive heart attack happen?
Due to the presence of atherosclerosis, which is a chronic inflammatory disease in the arteries.
One of the most common causes of heart attack among adults is ruptured plaque within an artery in the cardiovascular system. The plaque builds up over time and can rupture due to stress or sudden decreases in blood flow with toxins released into circulation leading to the death of surrounding tissue.
Thankfully, most people are at very low risk for a second heart attack the vast majority are not.
Then how is it possible to have a second one? Its possible due to uncontrolled high blood pressure. If you chronically have high blood pressure- some experts say up to 140/90 over many years- then constant stress on your heart can cause some damage. Your arteries weaken and this makes them more likely to rupture when additional pressure is applied in some way, for example during periods of acute hypertension or severe exercise. If one artery ruptures, the force of the sudden surge of blood flow could pull on another nearby artery until it ruptures as well, causing an even more serious situation.
A massive heart attack is a physicians name for uncontrolled and dangerous levels of coronary blood flow.
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Know Your Heart Care Options
You cant predict if a heart attack will happen. But knowing where you can get the right heart care is one thing you can do. Our nationally recognized cardiac centers include:
- Regions Hospital Heart Center in St. Paul, MN, is consistently recognized as one of the nations top cardiac centers. Youll get the highest level of care in every situation, starting with emergency treatment all the way through the recovery process.
- Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center, located in St. Louis Park, MN, is nationally recognized for offering outstanding, responsive care for heart attacks and other cardiac conditions. This center is accredited as a Mission: Lifeline® Heart Attack Receiving Center by the American Heart Association, so you can expect first-rate treatment, especially in time-sensitive situations.
- Cardiac rehabilitation services are offered across the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin. Recovering from a heart attack takes time, but you dont have to go through it alone. We offer personalized cardiac rehabilitation at seven convenient locations, so its easy to get the support you and your heart need.
You’re Not Exercising Regularly
“The most unhealthy heart habit is a sedentary lifestyle. With the COVID pandemic and everyone stuck at home, it has been hard to keep an active lifestyle for most people,” says Dr. Paris Sabo. “The best thing you can do for your heart is to keep it pumping by being active regularly. The best activity is walking to get your heart rate up. Try to walk outside if you can, a minimum of three days a week for 30 minutes each.”
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Invasive And Surgical Procedures
In addition to treatment with drugs, you may need to undergo a procedure to restore blood flow to your heart:
Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting This common procedure involves inserting a long, narrow tube into your coronary artery, inflating a tiny balloon in the area of a blockage, and leaving a mesh tube to keep it open.
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery For more severe artery blockages, you may need to undergo surgery in which blood vessels are sewn around a blocked artery. Ideally this is done a few days after your heart attack, but it may also need to be done more urgently.
What Are The Warning Signs Of A Heart Attack
The onset of a heart attack can potentially look very different depending on the person. Sometimes they come on strong, and there is no mistaking the symptoms. Other times, the attack happens over an extended period of time with less notable symptoms. Here are some warning signs that you or a loved one may be experiencing an attack.
- Shortness of breath. Either on its own or with chest pain.
- Chest discomfort. Pressure, tightness, or pain that lasts for several minutes or comes and goes.
- Lightheadedness. If you suddenly feel dizzy or lightheaded and experience chest pain or shortness of breath, it could indicate that your heart isnt working as efficiently as it should.
- Nausea, vomiting, or feelings of severe heartburn/Indigestion. While these may be indicators of other issues, if you experience these symptoms along with other heart attack symptoms or are at risk for heart problems, be sure to see your doctor.
- Throat, arm, or jaw pain. If you feel pressure in your chest that spreads upward to your throat and jaw, it could signify something more serious.
- Unexplained extreme exhaustion. If your heart isnt moving oxygen around your body as efficiently as it should, you may have trouble completing tasks that should be easy for you.
Are you at risk for heart disease? Our heart CT scanners can help detect issues before a heart attack happens. Contact us today.
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What Happens During A Heart Attack
When a heart attack happens, blood flow to a part of your heart stops or is far below normal, which causes that part of your heart muscle to die. When a part of your heart cant pump because its dying from lack of blood flow, it can disrupt the pumping sequence for the entire heart. That reduces or even stops blood flow to the rest of your body, which can be deadly if it isnt corrected quickly.
How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Having A Heart Attack
Although there are several risk factors that you cant control, there are many ways you can help yourself and reduce your risk of a heart attack. These include:
- Schedule a checkup: Find a primary care provider and see them at least once a year for a checkup or wellness visit. An annual checkup can catch many of the early warning signs of heart disease, including signs that you can’t feel. These include your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels and more.
- Quit tobacco products: This includes smokeless tobacco and all vaping products.
- Exercise regularly: Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity a week.
- Eat a healthy diet: Examples include the Mediterranean or Dash diets. A plant-based diet approach is an excellent alternative.
- Maintain a healthy weight: Your primary care provider can advise you on a healthy goal weight and provide you resources and guidance to help you reach that goal.
- Manage your existing health conditions: This includes high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Reduce your stress: Consider techniques such as yoga, deep breathing and meditation.
- Take your medications: Dont just take medications when you remember to or when you have a doctors appointment coming up.
- Keep all your medical appointments: Seeing your healthcare providers regularly can help uncover heart-related issues or other medical problems you didn’t know you had. This can also help treat problems sooner rather than later.
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Who Is Most At Risk For Sudden Cardiac Arrest
As with heart attacks, SCA can be triggered by coronary heart disease. In fact, a heart attack can immediately trigger cardiac arrest. This is yet another reason why theres so much confusion between the two conditions. Anyone living with heart disease is at an elevated risk for both conditions, and many of the same risk factorslike smoking, high blood pressure, and obesityapply.
People with certain heart abnormalities are also at an elevated risk. These abnormalities include an enlarged heart, irregular heart valves, and electrical impulse problems. In these cases, a doctor may recommend a defibrillation device like an implantable cardioverter defibrillator to combat the risk of cardiac arrest.
Many sufferers are people who have previously experienced a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Men are more likely to experience this type of event. Although men over 45 and women over 55 are the most common victims, cardiac arrest can occur at any age. More than 2,000 children and 5,000 adolescents experience SCA every year.
Social Isolation Loneliness Increase Risk Of Fatal Heart Attacks And Strokes
Loneliness and social isolation are common, and both are independent risk factors for cardiovascular and brain health problems, according to the American Heart Association.
People who are socially isolated or feel lonely are about 30 percent more likely to experience or die from heart attacks and strokes, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association.
Over four decades of research has clearly demonstrated that social isolation and loneliness are both associated with adverse health outcomes, Crystal Wiley Cené, MD, MPH, lead author of the scientific statement, said in a statement.
Given the prevalence of social disconnectedness across the U.S., the public health impact is quite significant, Dr. Cené said.
The very young and very old may be particularly vulnerable, the AHA notes in its scientific statement.
Almost one-quarter of adults 65 and older are socially isolated and up to about half of them are lonely. Persistent loneliness may be even more common for Generation Z, young adults currently 18 to 22 years old.
And the pandemic may have made things worse, for both of these groups, as well as for other socially vulnerable groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, gender and sexual minority groups, and the poor.
To assess the connections between social isolation, loneliness, and heart and brain health, the AHA scientific statement examined research published through July 2021.
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Symptoms And Signs Of A Stemi
A STEMI has the classic symptom of pain in the center of the chest. This chest discomfort may be described as a pressure or tightness rather than a sharp pain. Some people who experience STEMIs also describe feeling pain in one or both arms or their back, neck, or jaw.
Other symptoms that may accompany chest pain include:
- nausea
- lightheadedness
- breaking out in a cold sweat
What Causes A Heart Attack
The vast majority of heart attacks occur because of a blockage in one of the blood vessels that supply your heart. This most often happens because of plaque, a sticky substance that can build up on the insides of your arteries . That buildup is called atherosclerosis.
Sometimes, plaque deposits inside the coronary arteries can break open or rupture, and a blood clot can get stuck where the rupture happened. If the clot blocks the artery, this can deprive the heart muscle of blood and cause a heart attack.
Heart attacks are possible without a blockage, but this is rare and only accounts for about 5% of all heart attacks. This kind of heart attack can occur for the following reasons:
- Spasm of the artery: Your blood vessels have a muscle lining that allows them to become wider or narrower as needed. Those muscles can sometimes twitch or spasm, cutting off blood flow to heart muscle.
- Rare medical conditions: An example of this would be any disease that causes unusual narrowing of blood vessels.
- Trauma: This includes tears or ruptures in the coronary arteries.
- Obstruction that came from elsewhere in the body: A blood clot or air bubble that gets trapped in a coronary artery.
- Electrolyte imbalances: Having too much or too little of key minerals like potassium in your blood can cause a heart attack.
- Eating disorders: Over time, an eating disorder can cause damage to your heart and ultimately result in a heart attack.
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You’re Drinking Too Much
According to Hopkins Medicine, “Heavy drinking is linked to a number of poor health outcomes, including heart conditions. Excessive alcohol intake can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure or stroke. Excessive drinking can also contribute to cardiomyopathy, a disorder that affects the heart muscle.” 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
About 50% Of Americans Have At Least One Risk Factor For Heart Disease
Heart attack facts remark that there are top three factors for heart disease. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Astoundingly, about half of Americans have at least one of those factors.
Some other behaviors and conditions that could increase the risk are obesity, unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and diabetes. Following this, one could choose to resort to weight loss pills or appetite suppressants, if need be.
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What Is The Most Common Cause Of Sudden Cardiac Death
Coronary artery disease causes most cases of sudden cardiac death. In people who are younger, congenital heart defects or genetic abnormalities in their hearts electrical system are often the cause. In people age 35 and older, the cause is more often related to coronary artery disease.
Other sudden cardiac death causes include cardiomyopathy from:
- Obesity.
- Genetic disorders of your heart muscle, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
Sudden cardiac death in athletes is rare . Most professional athletic programs will screen their prospective athletes for the most common causes of sudden cardiac death in that population, which in the United States is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It also happens more often in people AMAB.
In people who are younger, most sudden cardiac death occurs while playing team sports. In athletes age 35 and older, it happens more often while running or jogging. About 1 in 15,000 joggers and 1 in 50,000 marathon runners have sudden cardiac death.