Heart attack causes, symptoms, and treatment

¶ … heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. This happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle is blocked. This is usually caused by the buildup of plaque that bursts, tears or ruptures, creating a snag where a blood clot forms and blocks the artery, leading to a heart attack (see Figure 1). Coronary artery disease causes approximately 1.5 million heart attacks each year. There are many causes of heart disease, some are controllable and some are not. Uncontrollable risk factors include male gender, older age, family history of heart disease, post-menopausal stages, and race (Blacks and Mexican-Americans have larger risks for heart disease than whites). Risk factors that can be controlled include smoking, inappropriate cholesterol levels, uncontrolled hypertension, physical inactivity, obesity, uncontrolled diabetes and uncontrolled stress and anger.

Most individuals think of heart attacks as sudden and intense, but the majority of heart attacks start slowly, with only mild pain or discomfort. In fact, some people affected aren't sure what's wrong and delay getting medical attention. According to the American Heart Association, the symptoms of a heart attack include:

Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Shortness of breath. This feeling often comes along with chest discomfort. But it can occur before the chest discomfort.

Other signs: These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness heart attack is a medical emergency that must be quickly addressed to prevent permanent heart damage or death. CPR should be administered if a person suffering a heart attack goes into cardiac arrest. If possible, it is recommended that the victim chew an aspirin because this drug is an effective inhibitor of blood clots and reduces the risk of death from a heart attack by twenty-five percent. Once at this hospital, a physician suspecting a heart attack will order a ECG or EKG to detect and locate the heart attack by measuring the electrical activity within the heart as well as blood tests to help diagnose a heart attack and to detect any ongoing heart damage. Often treatment is started at this time.

First, a heart attack victim is given drugs to prevent further blood clotting in the heart, and decrease the strain on the heart. Treatment may also include a procedure to open any blocked heart arteries such as:

Balloon Angioplasty. This procedure occurs during cardiac catheterization (see above). A balloon-tipped catheter is inserted into a blocked heart artery, and the balloon inflated gently to press plaques against the wall of the artery, thus opening it up.

Stent placement. This is a procedure in which a wire mesh tube is inserted through a catheter into a blocked heart artery to "prop" it open. This procedure usually occurs along with balloon angioplasty.

Bypass Surgery. This surgical procedure allows a surgeon to re-route blood flow around a blockage, thus increasing blood flow to a part of the heart. Usually a blood vessel from the leg or chest is used to bypass the blocked heart artery.

Heart attack victims are usually hospitalized in special coronary care units for a minimum of thirty-six hours. Once past the critical phase, patients continue to receive drugs called beta blockers to slow the heart, nitrates to increase heart blood flow, and anticoagulants such as heparin, warfarin, or aspirin to prevent further clotting.