How Often Are Heart Attacks Fatal

Can Sudden Cardiac Arrest Be Prevented

If you have any of the risk factors listed above, it is important to speak with your doctor about how to reduce your risk.

Keeping regular follow-up appointments with your doctor, making certain lifestyle changes, taking medications as prescribed and having interventional procedures or surgery are ways you can reduce your risk.

Follow-up care with your doctor:

Your doctor will tell you how often you need to have follow-up visits. To prevent future episodes of sudden cardiac arrest, your doctor will want to perform diagnostic tests to determine what caused the cardiac event. Tests may include electrocardiogram , ejection fraction, ambulatory monitoring, echo-cardiogram, cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology study.

Ejection fraction :

Ejection fraction is a measurement of the percentage of blood pumped out of the heart with each beat. Ejection fraction can be measured in your doctors office during an echocardiogram or during other tests such as a multiple gated acquisition scan, cardiac catheterization, nuclear stress test or magnetic resonance imaging scan of the heart.

The Ejection fraction of a healthy heart ranges from 55 to 65 percent. Your Ejection fraction can go up and down, based on your heart condition and the effectiveness of the therapies that have been prescribed.

Reducing your risk factors:

These lifestyle changes include:

• Managing diabetes
• Managing other health conditions

Medications:

Is An Enlarged Heart In Dogs Always Fatal

If you suspect your dog has an enlarged heart or your vet diagnosed your dog with this condition, you may be wondering if an enlarged heart in dogs is always fatal. The heart is a pump, and as a pump, it sadly is not designed to last forever. In a dog with an enlarged heart, the heart is struggling to work and cannot pump blood efficiently as it should. When the heart fails to work as it should, it has a negative impact on the dog’s lungs, liver, and other body systems which can cause a cascading chain of events. Unfortunately, once a dog develops an enlarged heart, there is no way to reverse it.

Gray muzzles need good dental care

What Happens to the Heart

The medical term for an enlarged heart in dogs is “canine dilated cardiomyopathy. “The word “canine” refers to dogs, the word “dilated” refers to an enlargement and the word “cardiomyopathy” simply means “disease of the heart muscle.”

Dilated cardiomyopathy commonly affects large and giant breed dogs especially, Great Danes, Doberman, Irish wolfhounds, Scottish deerhounds, Saint Bernards, bullmastiffs, Newfoundlands and boxers. In some cases, English and American cocker spaniels are affected too, even though they are medium-sized dogs. The age of onset is typically anywhere between 4 and 10 years old.

Slowing Down Problems

Enalapril or benazepril are drugs known as ACE inhibitors and they mainly work by reducing vascular resistance. ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme.”

A Progressive Condition

What Does A Heart Attack Feel Like

Some of the sensations you may feel during a heart attack include:

• Chest pain that can range from mild to severe, or an uncomfortable pressure, tightness, squeezing or heaviness in your chest. The discomfort can last more than a few minutes at a time and sometimes goes away for a short time but returns later.
• Pain or a sensation of being squeezed that starts in the upper back.
• Pain that starts from your left shoulder and arm, and goes into other areas such as your back, jaw, neck or right arm.
• Pain that feels like heartburn or indigestion.

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We Bet You’d Never Guess This

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US and the most common cause of disability. In fact, heart disease kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer.

As heart health month winds down, we want to bring some awareness to women’s heart health, in particular what to look out for, and how to prevent heart disease in women.

All too often heart disease is seen as a man’s illness. This misconception has led to a misunderstanding in symptoms for women.

Heart disease symptoms can be different for women

That pressure and pain experienced in the chest in men may not be experienced in the chest at all in females. Women may have blockages in small arteries as opposed to their main artery, making their symptoms different.

• Burning or tenderness in the back, shoulders, arms, or jaw may be signs of angina without chest discomfort.
• In women, angina may even take place when artery tests have come back normal. Too often, this causes doctors to misdiagnose symptoms.

All too often a fatal heart attack is the first sign of heart disease. Symptoms of a heart attack in women are more subtle than the common strong chest pain often associated with a heart attack:

• Extreme fatigue or shortness of breath

Both men and women should be proactive against heart disease by living a healthy lifestyle. However, this may be even more important for women. According to mayoclinic.org:

Make these few changes to decrease your chance of developing heart disease:

Quit smoking

Are There Complications Of A Heart Attack

Complications following a heart attack can include:

• Arrhythmia your heart may develop an irregular heartbeat following a heart attack due to damaged heart muscles disrupting electrical signals.
• Heart failure your heart may have ongoing difficulty pumping enough blood, due to its muscles being too weak or stiff.
• Cardiogenic shock where your whole body goes into shock from extensive heart muscle damage.
• Heart rupture this is a rare but serious complication in which the hearts muscles, walls or valves split apart.

These can be dangerous if untreated, but your healthcare team will help to manage them if they occur.

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Dognappers Could Face Five Years In Jail Under Tough New Rules After Spate Of Pet Thefts Last Year

• Dognappers could be jailed for five years under plans to make it specific offence
• Ministers are planning to add dognapping to Animal Welfare Bill
• This news comes as more than 2,000 thefts were reported to the police last year

Criminals who steal a dog could be jailed for five years under plans to make it a specific offence.

Ministers are planning to add dognapping to the Animal Welfare Bill, which had its second reading in Parliament last month, following a recommendation from the pet theft task force.

The group was set up in May after more than 2,000 thefts were reported to the police last year.

Dognappers and other pet thieves could be jailed for up to five years under plans to create a new criminal offence

Paula Boyden, of the charity Dogs Trust, said: Having your beloved pet stolen is an extremely stressful, often heart-breaking experience.

For years, Dogs Trust has called for harsher penalties to deter those who profit from this despicable crime. We very much hope that the increased sentencing will make pet thieves think twice.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said dog thefts made up seven out of ten crimes involving animals.

The new offence would take into account the emotional distress caused to the owner and the dog.

There will also be a provision in the Bill to include other pets in future if evidence supports that.

Can Sudden Cardiac Arrest Be Treated

Yes, sudden cardiac arrest can be treated and reversed, but emergency action must take place immediately. Survival can be as high as 90% if treatment is initiated within the first minutes after sudden cardiac arrest. The rate decreases by about 10% each minute longer it takes to initiate therapy. Those who survive have a better long-term outlook.

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What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Attack

If you have any of the symptoms below, you could be having a heart attack. If symptoms are severe, get worse quickly, or last longer than 10 minutes, call triple zero immediately and ask for an ambulance. If calling triple zero does not work on your mobile try calling 112.

The most common symptoms of a heart attack include:

• chest pain pressure or tightness in the chest and arms that may spread to the jaw, neck or back
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Women may experience different symptoms, such as:

• breathlessness and generally feeling unwell
• tightness or discomfort in the arms
• back pain or pressure

Heart attack symptoms differ from person to person. Some people experience no warning signs before a heart attack while others feel symptoms days or weeks in advance. Nearly 1 in 3 men and nearly 4 in 10 women who have heart attacks dont feel any chest pain at all. Chest pains may also come and go.

Do Your Best And Prevent A Death

Heart attacks always come as a surprise but that doesnt mean you can let it become a fatal mistake. The study went on to say that immediate CPR may change the course of the situation so that the time waiting for the ambulance to arrive, assuming one was called, will drastically increase the chances of survival. Even if its three or so minutes, its still can save a life.

Maybe you could also direct us to the best easy to understand instructions for How to administer CPRwhich could bring the article full circle

Thanks,

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Can Dogs Get A Heart Transplant

As seen, there is no cure for dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs as the disease is progressive. Even with the best medications, they will eventually stop working and the heart will give up eventually. The condition is therefore always fatal. Dog owners sometimes wonder whether a heart transplant is an option.

While heart transplants are often done in humans, in dogs it is unheard of, other than the rare experimental studies one may sometimes stumble upon in literature. And for those wondering whether the hearts of dogs who are euthanized daily in shelters could be used for a transplant, the answer is no. Euthanized dogs will have euthanasia drugs in their hearts and that would be toxic and unable to beat again, explains Dr. Rebecca.

If your dog is suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy and you want to go an extra mile and explore further options, you may find it useful to consult with a board-certified veterinarian specializing in cardiology. Often heart disease can be managed for many months or even years when the right protocols are in place.

References:

• DVM360, Managing dilated cardiomyopathy

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.

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Causes Of A Heart Attack

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of heart attacks.

CHD is a condition in which the major blood vessels that supply the heart get clogged with deposits of cholesterol, known as plaques.

Before a heart attack, 1 of the plaques bursts , causing a blood clot to develop at the site of the rupture.

The clot may block the supply of blood to the heart, triggering a heart attack.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of A Heart Attack

The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort. Other symptoms of a heart attack include:

• shortness of breath
• to the neck, jaw or shoulders

paleness, sweating or weakness

chest pain with possible feelings of:

fullness

nausea, vomiting and possible indigestion

anxiety or fear

Most symptoms of a heart attack are the same for men and women.

Women are more likely to feel some discomfort in the chest rather than a sharp pain or tightness. The milder symptoms do not mean that a woman’s heart attack is any less severe than a man’s heart attack. Any symptoms of a heart attack should be taken seriously.

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What Do You Do If You Have A Heart Attack

If you have any of the listed symptoms:

• tell someone and ask them to get help right away

The faster you get help, the better your chances of surviving a heart attack. Half of heart attack deaths happen within 2 hours of the first signs.

On average, Canadians wait almost 5 hours before getting medical help. Many people find it hard to believe that they are having a heart attack. They convince themselves that the symptoms are something else and that they will go away.

Not getting help for your symptoms could lead to death. New therapies and drugs can reduce damage and save your life if treatment begins soon enough. Your health care provider will work with you to determine treatment and recovery needs.

If you have suffered a heart attack, having important health information close by can help medical staff treat you. Carry personal health information with you at all times and have it posted by your phone. You may not be able to tell medical staff this information yourself, depending on your condition.

Your list should include:

• telephone and health care number
• medical history
• current medications
• health care provider
• health insurance number for expenses that are not covered under provincial health insurance plans, such as:
• ambulance services

Why The Heart Attack Is Most Common In Early Mornings

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One fine morning, a 49-year-old young, fit, at a healthy weight, and didnt smoke, drink, or do drugs was feeling chest pain, along with the feeling he was going to throw up everything. Suddenly he collapsed on the floor, with symptoms were of a heart attack. Even though he didnt fit the picture of heart disease or didnt have the history of it.

A heart attack can happen to anybody anywhere at any time. The studies have shown that morning heart attacks tend to be more severe than those that happen later in the day.

The most dangerous time is the last phase of sleep and right after you wake up. Do you know heart attacks are five to six times more likely to occur in the early morning hours?

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Get The Heart Care You Need When You Need It

Each year about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack, and about 655,000 die of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means heart disease is responsible for one in every four deaths, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Remember, if you think youre having a heart attack:

• Chew one adult-strength aspirin to help keep your blood from clotting.
• Stay on the phone with the emergency operator as you wait for an ambulance. Do not try to drive yourself to the hospital.

A heart attack can be a scary experience. But remember that were here for you, and comprehensive heart care and recovery options are never far away.

How Are Heart Attacks Diagnosed

If you think you might be having a heart attack, you need to head to a hospital straight away. There, a doctor will assess your symptoms and check your vital signs blood pressure, pulse and temperature.

There are several tests that help indicate if youve had a heart attack, and whether damage was caused, such as:

• electrocardiogram electrical leads are placed on your chest, arms and legs to record the electrical signals travelling through your heart muscle
• CT scan or MRI scan

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Why Is It Common In The Morning

Heart attacks are more common during this period because there is a sudden increase in demand on our heart, our coronary arteries are more constricted and our capacity to dissolve blood clots is diminished, a data published by the Philippine Council for health research and development.

According to a study published in a cardiology journal heart, the heart attacks that occurred in the morning hours were associated with about 20% more dead heart tissue.

You must know these signs and symptoms of Heart attack

In the early hours of the morning, your levels of PAI-1a protein that prevents your body from breaking down blood clots, a major contributor to heart attack and strokespike.

During the early morning hours, the blood platelets are stickier and increased adrenaline released from the adrenal glands can trigger the rupture of plaques in coronary arteries. Your body also sees a natural surge in cortisol, taxing your heart.

In a study performed on mice, it has discovered that the heart rate is slow in the morning with irregular heartbeats. As the heart loses the regularity of the beat, it cannot pump blood efficiently and a person can die suddenly. The data published in the journal Nature.

It further links the risk between a protein, KLF15, and the bodys natural circadian rhythm.

Early morning when you wake up, our body and heart need more supply of oxygen to awaken the relaxed cardiovascular system. Also, more energy needed to perform other activities.

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