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What is a heart attack?
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Heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, acute myocardial infarction, ST-elevation myocardial infarction or non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction, occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked long enough for that part of the heart to die or become damaged.
Causes
A blood clot blocking one of the coronary arteries is the most common cause of a heart attack. Plaque that is made up of cholesterol and other cells can build up on the coronary arteries and cause a heart attack.
Plaque can develop cracks or tears to which blood platelets stick, forming a clot. Stress may also contribute to exacerbating plaque buildup and, eventually, heart attacks.
Symptoms
The main symptom of a heart attack is chest discomfort, which can feel like pain, a feeling of tightness or indigestion in the chest, a feeling that something is sitting on the chest, or heavy pressure. The pain may last for more than 20 minutes. Other symptoms include anxiety, cough, fainting, light-headedness, nausea or vomiting, palpitations, shortness of breath or sweating. Symptoms may fade and return.
Some heart attacks, particularly those in the elderly, people with diabetes or women, may have little or no chest pain. Heart attacks in these groups may also be silent, which means there are no symptoms.
Diagnosis
A doctor will diagnose a heart attack by listening to the heart for abnormal sounds in the lungs, a heart murmur, a rapid pulse or abnormal blood pressure.
Heart tissue damage can be measured by a troponin blood test, and coronary angiography or electrocardiography may be used to evaluate blood flow through the heart. Other tests to determine whether a heart attack has occurred include echocardiography, exercise stress test or nuclear stress test.
Treatment
Heart attacks may be treated with medication to control the pain. Once in the hospital, a heart monitor can be used to examine the way the heart is beating, and oxygen may be administered. In extreme cases, angioplasty or stenting may be used to open blocked blood vessels. Open-heart surgery may also be necessary.
After a heart attack, antiplatelet drugs (blood thinners) may be used, as may beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors or statins. Once healthy, heart attack survivors are encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle.
When to seek help
It is vital to act quickly at the first sign of a heart attack. Chances of survival are greater — and the threat of damage to the heart decreases — when treatment begins soon after the first warning sign.
If you think you or someone around you may be showing signs of a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Do not drive to the hospital, or let someone else drive you — contact an ambulance and allow them to begin treatment on the way to the emergency room.
If a doctor has prescribed nitroglycerin pills, taking one could help decrease blood pressure and open blood vessels around the heart.
Additional information may be found at these websites:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-attack/DS00094/
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001246/
www.escardio.org/Pages/index.aspx
http://www.cardiosmart.org/cardiosmart/default.aspx?id=192
http://content.onlinejacc.org/
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack
http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm