% Of Cardiac Arrests Are Totally Preventable
No one wants to die suddenly in front of family members.This trauma could scar them for life.
Rather than watching for the warning symptoms before a cardiac arrest, a much better approach isto make the right lifestyle changes now so that a cardiac arrest never happens.
Fortunately, studies show that at least 81% of cardiac arrests are totally preventable by doing just 4 things. In a study by my friend, Dr. Christine Albert at Harvard University, of 81,722 women, she identified 4 healthy lifestyles than can prevent 81% of cardiac arrests.
1. Dont smoke.
2. Maintain a healthy weight.
3. Exercise 30 minutes a day.
4. Eat a diet high in fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fish
Whatto Do If You Notice Symptoms
Women often say theynoticed some of these three warning signs weeks or a monthbefore a heart attack.
The sooner you report aproblem, the better the chances are of catching an issue before it becomes afull-blown heart attack. If you experience any of these symptoms, take note andvisit your doctor as quickly as possible.
Important Think About This
· Id had three ECGs all indicating I was fine· Id had two doctors prepared to send me home· Id had two paramedics downgrade my emergency· I was beginning to feel pretty goodHeres my advice to you. Dont take no for an answer from a doctor or paramedic. They do great work but they are human and can fail. If you know the symptoms you have experienced point to a possible heart attack then insist on a blood test. Make sure! Without that blood test I would not have been around to write this.
Get the blood test! You have nothing to loose by asking. But a lot to lose if you dont.
But surviving my heart attack was only the beginning
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What Are The Early Signs Of A Heart Attack
There are heart attack symptoms in women that are different from heart attack symptoms in men. But the common signs and symptoms they usually share are as follows:
- Chest pain or discomfort: The discomfort usually lasts for more than a few minutes or it may go away and come back. The discomfort may feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain at the center of the chest.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body: This may include pain or discomfort in the back, jaw, stomach or in one or both arms.
- Shortness of breath: This may occur with, before or without chest pain or discomfort.
- Breaking out in a cold sweat
- Nausea or light-headedness
Meanwhile, heart attack symptoms in women sometimes go unnoticed. These include the following:
- Back pain
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Pressure, fullness, squeezing pain in the center of the chest, spreading to the neck, shoulder or jaw
- Unusual fatigue
- Treating or managing conditions that can be a risk factors of heart attack such as diabetes
What A Heart Attack Feels Like For A Man
The classic symptom of chest pain may not be present in every heart attack, but it remains the most common sign among men. The pain is often described as a pressure or squeezing sensation. Chest pain tends to be located in the center of the chest, but it can be felt from armpit to armpit.
Other common heart attack symptoms for men include:
- shortness of breath, which sometimes develops before any other symptoms, and may be present when sitting still or moving around
- back pain, often moving up to the neck
- arm pain, typically in the left arm, but can be in either or both arms
- jaw pain that sometimes feels like a bad toothache
- nausea
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Why Choose The Hospitals Of Providence For Your Early Heart Attack Care
The Hospitals of Providence has EHAC teams who genuinely care about you and your loved ones. Our hospitals are located across El Paso to provide accessible care to the communities in this city and nearby areas. At the same time, we have received multiple recognitions for the compassionate care and patient-centered cardiovascular services we offer.
Some of the accreditations and recognitions we received in recent years are as follows:
For Sierra Campus
- Chest Pain Reaccreditation by the Society of Cardiovascular Care
- ACC HeartCARE Center Designation by the American College of Cardiology
- Grade A rating for patient safety in the Leapfrog Groups Fall 2019 Safety Score
From ‘indigestion’ To A ‘pulled Muscle’ Survivors Share Very Different Experiences
by Jennifer Wolff, AARP, December 12, 2019| 0
En español | More than 1 million Americans will suffer from a heart attack this year, and about 150,000 of them will die from it, according to the American Heart Association. Thing is, more than half of the people who have a heart attack don’t recognize its symptoms. People have this idea of the Hollywood heart attack, which is a man squeezing his chest, the feeling of the balloon about to burst, says clinical cardiologist Malissa Wood, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. So when people don’t have that classic symptom that they’ve seen or heard about, they think, Well, this must be something else.'”
Wood admits that the medical literature describing telltale symptoms can contradict itself, and says the combination of misinformation and downright denial complicates matters. Basically if you feel something in your back, chest, jaw or tooth that you haven’t felt before, get it checked out, she says. The way to know is if you experience something you haven’t felt before. For those who’ve had heart problems previously, the advice often still applies. The one uniform thing people say is the symptom that they had was very different from what they had felt previously. And it’s not always pain. Sometimes it’s just a little discomfort, or an ache.
Here, five heart attack survivors share their very different experiences and what they wish they’d realized sooner.
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Surprising Body Cues That Could Be A Heart Concern
The classic signs of heart troublechest tightness, pressure or painare far from its only signals. People often fail to connect other symptoms theyre experiencing to their actual cause: the heart. This can result in failing to get the help they need for an emergency heart issue, like heart attack or stroke, or a critical delay in getting possible heart disease diagnosed and treated.
Most people know their bodies better than any doctor does. In general, if you constantly feel something isnt right or isn’t what youre used to, that warrants medical attention, says Parag Joshi, M.D., a cardiology fellow with the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.
Your whole body can be involved in sending the message that somethings wrong with your heart.
Smi: Unaware Of Possible Danger
The number of people who suffer an SMI and don’t realize it is alarming. A study in the Nov. 10, 2015, Journal of the American Medical Association looked at almost 2,000 people ages 45 to 84 who were free of cardiovascular disease.
After 10 years, 8% had myocardial scars, which are evidence of a heart attack. Most surprising was that 80% of these people were unaware of their condition. Overall, the prevalence of myocardial scars was five times higher in men than in women.
SMI and regular heart attacks share the same risk factors: smoking, being overweight, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and diabetes. They can be just as dangerous, too. “SMI often leaves scarring and damage to the heart, which, combined with the fact that many people who have an SMI don’t seek immediate care, can further raise a person’s risk of a second and potentially more harmful heart attack,” says Dr. Plutzky. In fact, people who have an SMI and don’t get treatment have a three times greater risk of dying from coronary artery disease. “A silent heart attack is a loud signal your body sends that you have some kind of underlying health issue that needs attention,” says Dr. Plutzky.
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How Is A Heart Attack Diagnosed
A heart attack is a medical emergency. If youre experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack, call Triple Zero and ask for an ambulance. An ambulance is the safest way to go to hospital and the quickest way to seek treatment. Treatment can start when ambulance staff arrive, saving precious minutes and preventing damage to your heart muscle. Once you get to hospital, your doctor will perform tests to diagnose if youre having a heart attack. These tests will also measure the amount of damage caused to your heart and the best treatment course to take.These tests include:
Prepare For The Worst And Hope For The Best: Signs And Symptoms Of A Heart Attack
Heart disease remains one of the leading killers in the world.
With obesity levels on the rise and more people being diagnosed with medical conditions than ever before, the strain on our bodies continues to increase.
We are more stressed out than humans have ever been before. We work harder than we ever have before. Our jobs are more demanding and we spend less time at home than we ever did before.
No wonder people are suffering heart attacks all around us. People in their twenties are starting to have heart attacks now.
With anxiety, depression, and dwindling economic status, people are getting older before their time.
But if you know what to look for and you get help fast enough, you can come through a heart attack.
Not everyone survives, but not everyone dies either. There is hope. Heres what to look for if you think you or someone you know is having a heart attack.
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Symptoms You Never Suspected
So, what does a heart attack really feel like?According to Dr. Menon, patients most often report:
- Heartburn-like chest pain. Its quite common for heart attacks to feel like acid reflux.
- Shortness of breath. Some heart attacks dont cause pain at all. These silent heart attacks are most common in people with diabetes, older adults and those who have had bypass surgery.
- Profound fatigue. This symptom is most common in elderly patients and can be misdiagnosed as a flu-like illness.
- Nausea and sweating. While these symptoms can come with heavy chest pain, they also can occur by themselves, especially in women. These symptoms commonly accompany heart attacks to the inferior wall of the heart.
My First Morphine Trick
Chris laughed. Id actually opened my eyes and seen Chris at the end of the bed. I had then fallen asleep and opened my eyes much later when Chris was in a different position. I thought it was just a blink of an eye. Such are the foibles of being on Morphine. More on that subject later.
It was time for me to get out of the ICU.
I did not know at the time but although my surgery had not gone to plan there were complications. While in ICU the hospital contacted Chris and told her Id had a stroke. To what extent was unknown but they knew it affected my left side. As I had not spoken or been able to move the diagnosis was still preliminary.
Even though it was a couple of days since my surgery I was groggy and I guessed I was feeling the effect of the drugs they were giving me. Together with Chris, a physiotherapist told me it was time to get out of my ICU bed and walk. Chris and the physio helped me get up and onto my feet.
They held me under my armpits and told me to walk with them. My left foot dragged along the ground. I could not lift it. I thought I was doing well given I had only arrived back in the land of the conscious moments ago.
Im not sure how far they tried to make me walk but I could not take a proper step. For some reason, at the time I did not think this was a problem and I figured all would work properly in time. They returned me my bed and transferred me back to the Cardio Thoracic ward.
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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.
What Is The Difference Between A Cardiac Arrest And A Heart Attack
A cardiac arrest is complete electrical failure of the heart. When this happens, cardiac arrest victims immediately pass out and cannot be aroused. The heart is not beating at all and, unless the heart can be shocked back into rhythm fast, permanent brain damage or death will happen in minutes. CPR can keep the victim alive a few extra minutes while waitingfor the paramedics to arrive with a defibrillator.
Whereas a cardiac arrest is an electrical problem of the heart, a heart attack is a plumbing problem. In other words, one of the arteries feeding blood to the heart suddenly plugs up and the heart muscle fed by the artery starves for blood and dies. As portions of the heart muscle die with a heart attack, this can cause heart failure as the surviving muscle has to work harder to compensate.
Heart attack victims dont usually lose consciousness. For these people, time is also critical. The faster the artery can be opened the less heart muscle dies.
The confusion is that heart attacks can trigger a cardiac arrest. However, cardiac arrests often occur in people with absolutely no blockages in the arteries of their heart.
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Is There Anything That Distinguishes These Symptoms How Do You Know When Those Subtle Atypical Symptoms Are Concerning
Its important to know your risk for heart disease in order to assess early symptoms. Dr. Xu says when he works with a patient, they discuss his or her family and personal history, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, age and disease history to determine a risk level for heart attacks.
Within this context of risk, they talk about symptoms. Are they typical or not? How are they experienced? At rest or during exertion? Are they associated with emotional stress or cold weather? Are they happening in conjunction with other symptoms such as shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat or cold sweats? This is the starting point for a treatment plan.
What A Heart Attack Doesnt Feel Like
Not all chest pain is a heart attack symptom. Pain isunlikely to be heart-related when it:
- Is momentary,lasting only for a few seconds.
- Feels like apricking sensation.
- Is in a small,well-localized area of your chest.
- Can bereproduced when you press on your chest or move your arm.
- Radiates belowyour abdomen and into your legs.
The best way to guard yourself from a heart attack is to eat a healthy diet, do regular aerobic activity, avoid smoking, manage diabetes if you have it, have regular checkups with your primary care provider, and know and control your cholesterol levels, says Dr. Menon.
If you notice a sudden changein your ability to perform physical activity, get to a doctor right away.
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Why Warning Symptoms Before A Cardiac Arrest Matter
One of the key take away messages of this study is that symptoms matter. For example, if someone called 911 before the actual cardiac arrest, 32% of these people lived in this study. However, if 911 was not called until the victim became unconscious, then only 6% of these people survived.
Thus, recognizing the symptoms of a cardiac arrest increased survival more than 5-fold!
Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
SCAD is a type of heart attack that happens when the inner lining of a coronary artery tears for no clear reason, slowing or blocking blood flow down the artery.
SCAD can occur in otherwise healthy people who do not have the typical risk factors of heart disease. And according to an article in Clinical Cardiology , about 90% of SCADs happen to women between the age of 30 and 60.
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Warning Signs Of Heart Failure
By themselves, any one sign of heart failure may not be cause for alarm. But if you have more than one of these symptoms, even if you haven’t been diagnosed with any heart problems, report them to a healthcare professional and ask for an evaluation of your heart. Congestive heart failure is a type of heart failure which requires seeking timely medical attention, although sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably.
If you have been diagnosed with heart failure, it’s important for you to manage and keep track of symptoms and report any sudden changes to your healthcare team.
This table lists the most common signs and symptoms, explains why they occur and describes how to recognize them.