What Is Heart Attack

Heart Attack Vs Cardiac Arrest: Whats The Difference

What is a heart attack

A heart attack, which is often referred to as a myocardial infarction, happens when blood that normally flows to the heart is blocked or cut off. Without enough oxygen-rich blood flowing to the heart, it can cause damage to one of the most important organs in the body, and the heart muscle can begin to die.

A cardiac arrest, on the other hand, is known as sudden cardiac death. The word arrest means to stop or bring to a halt. In the case of cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating, which is an extremely serious health issue. Cardiac arrest can cause near-immediate death or disability.

A heart attack and cardiac arrest are both life threatening medical emergencies. Its helpful to know the symptoms of each.

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What Are The Risk Factors For Heart Attack

Several health conditions, your lifestyle, and your age and family history can increase your risk for heart disease and heart attack. These are called risk factors. About half of all Americans have at least one of the three key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking.2

Some risk factors cannot be controlled, such as your age or family history. But you can take steps to lower your risk by changing the factors you can control.

Learn more about risk factors for heart disease and heart attack.

How Are Heart Attacks Diagnosed

Heart attacks are usually diagnosed in an emergency room setting. A healthcare provider will diagnose a heart attack using the following:

History and symptoms: The provider will ask you about the symptoms you experienced. If someone was with you, the provider might also ask them to describe what happened.
Lab testing: Heart attacks cause a specific chemical marker to show up in your blood.
Heart-specific diagnostic tests: This includes tests that detect and record the electrical activity in your heart.
Imaging tests: These tests give providers a way to see inside your heart. Many of these tests can also show the location of a blood flow blockage, which can guide treatment.

What Is A Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Before you leave the hospital, your doctor may talk to you about a cardiac rehabilitation program. These programs provide information that will help you understand your risk factors. It will help you live a healthy lifestyle that can prevent future heart problems. You will learn about exercise and diet, and how to reach and maintain a healthy weight. You will also learn ways to control your stress level, your blood pressure, and your cholesterol levels.

Your cardiac rehabilitation program will probably start while you are still in the hospital. After you leave the hospital, your rehabilitation will continue in a rehab center. The rehab center may be at the hospital or in another location.

Most cardiac rehabilitation programs last 3 to 6 months. Your doctor will talk to you about how often you need to attend the program. Once you enroll in a cardiac rehabilitation program, regular attendance is important. The more lifestyle changes you make, the better your chances of preventing future heart problems.

The sooner you get medical help, the greater your chances of surviving a heart attack. Do not delay getting immediate medical attention if you are experiencing symptoms of heart attack.

How Is A Heart Attack Different From Cardiac Arrest

People often use these terms to mean the same thing, but they describe different events.

A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked. Its a circulation problem.

With sudden cardiac arrest , the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly. Sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical problem.

A heart attack can cause a cardiac arrest. In cardiac arrest , death results when the heart suddenly stops working properly. This is caused by irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias.

The most common arrhythmia in cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. This is when the hearts lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and dont pump blood. Death occurs within minutes after the heart stops.

Cardiac arrest may be reversed if CPR is performed and a defibrillator is used within minutes to shock the heart and restore a normal heart rhythm.

What Happens After A Heart Attack

After a heart attack, it is likely you will stay in hospital for around 3-5 days so your condition can be stabilised and monitored.Some people develop other conditions linked to their heart attack, including:

Increased blood sugar levels, which can be treated with insulin
Arrythmias, a change to your hearts usual rhythm, which can be treated with a pacemaker if they are severe enough to be dangerous
Chest pain or angina, which is caused by insufficient blood supply to your heart muscle
Heart failure, when the damage to your heart muscle is so significant that it cannot pump enough blood to supply your body fully
High blood pressure, which can be treated with medication and diet

For most people, after a couple of days, your heart will settle down. The immediate risk of another heart attack lessens, and intensive monitoring can be stopped. Your doctor will advise when it is safe for you to return home from hospital.

It is normal to feel tired, overwhelmed and anxious after a heart attack. You may find that you dont remember a lot of what the doctors and nurses told you, especially during the first few days. Dont be afraid to ask questions of staff. It can help to talk to your family about what has been happening too.Before you leave hospital, your doctor will talk to you about any medications you may need to take, as well as give you information about support services available in your local area, such as cardiac rehabilitation.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

Is there a test I can take to see if my arteries or blocked so I know if Im at risk of a having a heart attack?
What is the likely cause of my heart attack?
How serious was my heart attack?
What course of treatment do you recommend? Do I need medicine? Surgery?
Do I need to participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program?
When can I return to normal physical and sexual activity?
What is my risk of having another heart attack?
Are my family members at an increased risk of heart attack?
Do I need to take medicine to prevent another heart attack?
Will the medicine interact with any of the medicine I already take?
What lifestyle changes should I make at home to prevent another heart attack?
Can sexual activity cause a heart attack?

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Treatment And Medication Options For A Heart Attack

Once you arrive at a hospital after experiencing heart attack symptoms, doctors will confirm a heart attack through a combination of heart monitoring, blood tests, and imaging tests.

You may be started right away on an intravenous clot-busting drug, which will help dissolve the blood clot that caused your heart attack.

More commonly, you will undergo a procedure to open up your blocked artery and keep it open, known as coronary angioplasty and stenting.

Will I Recover From My Heart Attack

What is a Heart Attack? (HealthSketch)

The answer is most likely yes.

The heart muscle begins to heal soon after a heart attack. It usually takes about eight weeks to heal.

Scar tissue may form in the damaged area, and that scar tissue does not contract or pump as well as healthy muscle tissue. As a consequence, the extent of damage to the heart muscle can impact how well the heart pumps blood throughout the body.

How much pumping function is lost depends on the size and location of the scar tissue. Most heart attack survivors have some degree of coronary artery disease and will have to make important lifestyle changes and possibly take medication to prevent a future heart attack. Taking these steps can help you lead a full, productive life.

Learn more about recovering from heart attack.

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Waiting For The Ambulance

It is important to rest while you wait for an ambulance, to avoid unnecessary strain on your heart.

If you know that you are not allergic to aspirin and you have aspirin available, chew an adult size tablet while you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

The aspirin will help to thin your blood and restore the blood flow to your heart.

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What Makes You Worry That Chest Pain Is Serious Like A Heart Attack

When is chest pain serious? That dull burning feeling in your chest doesn’t seem to be going away, and even feels like it is getting worse. Is it a heart attack, or something else?

It’s a vexing question, one that millions of people and their doctors face each year. What’s the problem? Chest pain can stem from dozens of conditions besides heart attack, from pancreatitis to pneumonia or panic attack.

Millions of Americans with chest pain are seen in hospital emergency departments every year. Only 20% of them are diagnosed with a heart attack or an episode of unstable angina, a warning sign that a heart attack may happen soon. A few have another potentially life-threatening problem, such as pulmonary embolism or aortic dissection . Some are experiencing “regular” angina, which occurs when part of the heart isn’t getting as much oxygen-rich blood as it needs during periods of physical exertion or emotional stress. Most of them, though, had a condition unrelated to the heart or arteries.

The other tricky problem with heart attacks is that different people experience them in different ways. Some have classic chest pain. Others have jaw pain or back pain. Still others become breathless, or extremely fatigued, or nauseated.

What Are The Complications Of A Heart Attack

Complications associated with heart attacks include:

Arrhythmias : Management options include medication, pacemaker placement, implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement and other options.
Heart failure: If enough heart tissue has died, your heart is now weakened and cant pump blood effectively, which can lead to heart failure.
Heart valve problems: Depending on the area of heart damage, your heart valves may be affected. Catheter-based procedures or surgery are treatment options for heart valve problems.
Sudden cardiac arrest: This sudden stoppage of your heart can be caused by arrhythmia.
Depression and anxiety: Talk to your healthcare provider. Management includes medication and counseling. Joining a support group can help.

What Can Cause A Heart Attack

A heart attack occurs when one or more of your coronary arteries become blocked and starves your heart of oxygen.

Coronary arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart. If there is a build-up of fatty substances and cholesterol, the arteries will begin to narrow making it harder for oxygen to reach the heart.

Over time, these fatty substances harden and eventually become plaque. If the plaque ruptures, blood cell fragments known as platelets usually stick to the side of the artery that has been injured and can clump together to form blood clots. If a large clot forms, it can block a coronary artery which will result in a heart attack.

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Who Is Most At Risk For A Heart Attack

Several key factors affect your risk of having a heart attack. Unfortunately, some of these risk factors aren’t things you can control.

If you have certain health conditions or diseases.

Age and sex

Your risk of heart attack increases as you get older, and your sex also influences when your risk of a heart attack starts to increase:

Men: The risk of heart attack increases greatly at age 45.
Women: The risk of heart attack increases greatly at age 50 or after menopause.

Family history

If you have a parent or sibling with a history of heart disease or heart attack especially at a younger age your risk is even greater. That risk increases with the following:

Your father or a brother who was diagnosed with heart disease at age 55 or younger.
Your mother or a sister who was diagnosed with heart disease at age 65 or younger.

Lifestyle

The lifestyle choices you make can also affect your risk of having a heart attack. The following lifestyle factors increase your risk of heart attack:

Lack of physical activity.

Eating disorders .

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.

Symptoms Of Cardiac Arrest

Sometimes a complication called ventricular arrhythmia can cause the heart to stop beating. This is known as sudden cardiac arrest.

Signs and symptoms suggesting a person has gone into cardiac arrest include:

they appear not to be breathing
they’re not moving
they don’t respond to any stimulation, such as being touched or spoken to

Invasive And Surgical Procedures

What a heart attack looks like

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.

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Living With A Heart Attack

After youve had a heart attack, you are at higher risk of having another one. Your doctor will likely recommend heart-healthy lifestyle changes to help reduce your risk. They include:

Maintaining a heart-healthy diet
Being physically active
Quitting smoking

Symptoms during a second heart attack may be different than the first one. If you have any new symptoms of heart attack or are in any doubt, call 911. Early treatment is the key to surviving a heart attack.

Ways To Protect Your Heart From A Very Young Age:

Lower your blood pressure: Even mildly elevated blood pressure can eventually cause heart issues. Therefore, having your blood pressure checked at least once a year is crucial.

Avoid smoking: Smoking not only damages the lungs, but it also increases your chance of having a heart attack! Smokers have a two- to four-fold increased risk of developing heart disease.

Manage body weight and diet: The best defenses against obesity and heart disease are a good diet and regular exercise. A diet rich in nutrients with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts along with at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Manage cholesterol levels: The risk of heart diseases increases with high cholesterol levels. The main causes are a diet high in processed foods and sugar. Changes in diet and lifestyle can help lower elevated cholesterol levels.

Avoid lack of sleep: The brain and muscles need to rest for at least seven hours each day to rebuild and relieve stress and exhaustion.

Prefer yoga than gyming: One shall also avoid taking over-the-counter supplements while working out. This can dismantle the entire nutrient supply inside your body and can cause certain organs to not function properly. Instead of opting for excessive gymming, one can opt for subtle yoga and meditation to approach the holistic wellness of your body.

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Symptoms Of A Heart Attack

Symptoms of a heart attack can include:

chest pain a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest
pain in other parts of the body it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms , jaw, neck, back and tummy
feeling lightheaded or dizzy
feeling sick or being sick
an overwhelming feeling of anxiety
coughing or wheezing

The chest pain is often severe, but some people may only experience minor pain, similar to indigestion.

While the most common symptom in both men and women is chest pain, women are more likely to have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling or being sick and back or jaw pain.

When Do I Do If Someone Else Has A Heart Attack

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An easy-to-use device called an AED is available in many public places and can be used by almost anyone to treat cardiac arrest. This device works by shocking the heart back into a normal rhythm.

Hereâs how to use an AED:

1. Check responsiveness

For an adult or older child, shout and shake the person to confirm whether theyâre unconscious. Do not use AED on a conscious person.
For an infant or young child, pinch their skin. Never shake a young child.
Check breathing and pulse. If absent or uneven, prepare to use the AED as soon as possible.

2. Prepare to use AED

Make sure the person is in a dry area and away from puddles or water.
Check for body piercings or outline of an implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator.
AED pads must be placed at least 1 inch away from piercings or implanted devices.

3. Use AED

For newborns, infants, and children up to age 8, use a pediatric AED, if possible. If not, use an adult AED.

Turn on the AED.
Plug in connector, if necessary.
Make sure no one is touching the person.
Push the âAnalyzeâ button.
If a shock is advised, check again to make sure no one is touching the person.
Push the âShockâ button.
Start or resume continue compressions.
Follow AED prompts.

4. Continue CPR

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