Heart Attack Health-NEMO Early Heart Attack Care

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Heart Attack Health

Background Information

A myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack, occurs “when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood through the coronary artery” (“Heart attack,” 2011). The coronary artery is “a blood vessel that feeds blood to a part of the heart muscle” (“Heart attack,” 2011). When this happens, “blood flow to a part of your heart is blocked for a long enough time that part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies” causing a heart attack (“Heart attack,” 2012).  Myocardial infarctions can be fatal. Fatalities often occur when “people confuse their symptoms with a minor illness and delay going to the hospital” (“Heart attack,” 2011). Medical advances have allowed treatment for heart attacks to improve greatly over the years.

Causes

Most myocardial infarctions are caused by coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD occurs when a waxy substance known as plaque builds up inside of the coronary arteries. When plaque builds up in arteries it is called atherosclerosis. An area of plaque can eventually break open inside an artery and a blood clot will form on the plaque’s surface. If the clot becomes large enough it will block blood flow through a coronary artery and the heart will not receive blood or oxygen. If the blockage is not treated quickly the part of the heart muscle fed by the artery will begin to die (“What causes a heart attack?,” 2011).

A less common cause of myocardial infarction is a severe spasm or tightening of a coronary artery. The spasm will cut off blood flow through the artery and can occur in coronary arteries not affected by atherosclerosis. It is not always know what causes a coronary artery to spasm, but a spasm can be related to taking certain drugs such as cocaine, emotional stress or pain, exposure to extreme cold, or cigarette smoke (“What causes a heart attack?,” 2011).

link with animation http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/causes.html

Symptoms

There are many symptoms of an impending heart attack. Symptoms include “discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm or below the breastbone; discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat, or arm; fullness, indigestion, or choking feelings; sweating, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness; extreme weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath; and rapid or irregular heartbeats” ("Heart attacks and," 2013). Women tend to have different symptoms than men, which include “shortness of breath, weakness, feeling of indigestion, and fatigue,” ("Heart attack what," 2009). It is possible for people to “have a heart attack without having any symptoms” ("Heart attacks and," 2013). This is also called a “silent” myocardial infarction. This is “more common among people with diabetes” ("Heart attacks and," 2013). 

Prevention

            Lowering risk factors prevents myocardial infarction. Even patients with coronary heart disease can take steps to lower their risk, which involve following a heart healthy lifestyle and receiving ongoing care. A healthy diet is most important for a healthy lifestyle. This includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as well as lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and fat-free or low-fat milk products. A healthy diet is also low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars.

Overweight or obese individuals should work with their doctor to create “a reasonable weight-loss plan that involves diet and physical activity. Controlling your weight helps you control risk factors for CHD and heart attack” ("How can a"). Physical activity is also a necessity for prevention of myocardial infarction. Physical activity can improve your fitness level and health. Smoking is also a preventable risk factor for heart attack and coronary heart disease. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about programs or products that can help you quit. It is also important to avoid secondhand smoke, as this can also increase your risk.

            Ongoing care is also of utmost importance to prevention of myocardial infarction. Treating existing conditions that make a heart attack more likely can help lower your risk. These conditions include high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. A physician may prescribe medicine to patients with high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure to help keep these conditions under control. Diabetes patients should try to control blood sugar level through diet and physical activity as well as taking prescribed medicine.

Safety standards

There are several different steps you can take to help yourself or someone else who are having a heart attack. First you want to call 911 or a local emergency medical assistance number. If you are having a heart attack “don’t tough out the symptoms for more than five minutes” (“Heart attack: First,” 2012).  Find a neighbor or friend to drive you to the closest hospital or wait for the ambulance to arrive. Driving yourself is a last resort. Another step you can take is to “chew and swallow an aspirin, unless you’re allergic to aspirin or have been told by your doctor never to take aspirin” (“Heart attack: first,” 2012). Another medicine option is to “take nitroglycerin, if prescribed. If you think you’re having a heart attack and your doctor has previously prescribed nitroglycerin for you, take it as directed” (“Heart attack: first,” 2012). Never take anybody else’s prescribed medication. Lastly if you are helping someone who is having a heart attack, you might have to begin CPR. If the person is unconscious you will need to start CPR. If you have not been trained in CPR, the 911 dispatcher can instruct you on how to perform chest compressions. If you have been trained then begin CPR until help arrives.

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Works Cited

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Heart attack. (2012, June 22). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001246/

Heart attack. (2012, June 22). Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000195.htm.

Heart attack. (2013, March 22). Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000195.htm

Heart attacks and heart disease. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart_disease_heart_attacks

Heart attack: First aid. (2012, February 3). Retrieved from

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-heart-attack/FA00050

Heart disease. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/DS01120/TAB=indepth

How can a heart attack be prevented?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health//dci/Diseases/HeartAttack/HeartAttack_Prevention.html

Understand your risk of heart attack. (2013, January 23). Retrieved from

            http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/UnderstandYourRiskofHeartAttack/Understand-Your-Risk-of-Heart-Attack_UCM_002040_Article.jsp

What Causes a Heart Attack? (2011, March 1). Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/causes.html.