Heart Attack

Overview

A heart attack, also known as a Myocardial Infarction, occurs when the blood flow to the heart is interrupted. The heart's primary function is to deliver oxygenated blood to all parts of the body so that they can function properly. When the heart receives oxygen-rich blood via blood vessels known as coronary arteries, it functions normally.

Heart Attack signs and symptoms: Chest pain, which is described as heavy or crushing, is a common symptom of a heart attack. The pain in the chest may spread to the arms, neck, jaw, or back. Heartburn, nausea, indigestion or abdominal pain, shortness of breath, sweating, fatigue, light-headedness, and sudden dizziness are some other symptoms. However, the symptoms mentioned may differ from person to person. Some people have mild chest pain, while others have severe pain. Some people have no chest pain at all. Sometimes a heart attack occurs suddenly, but there are warning signs and symptoms that appear hours, days, or weeks in advance.

Heart Attack causes: - A build-up of cholesterol plaque or fatty deposits in artery walls obstructs blood flow, resulting in a heart attack. When Plaque ruptures, spills cholesterol and other substances into the bloodstream, causing clots at the site of rupture and blocking the artery completely. A coronary artery blockage permanently damages a portion of the heart muscle.

Other factors that contribute to a heart attack include a spasm of an artery, which prevents blood from flowing to the heart muscle. Tobacco, smoking, and drugs like cocaine can all cause severe spasms.

Risk Factors of Heart Attack:

1. Smoking - Nearly 40% of patients under the age of 65 who die from heart disease is smokers. When a person smokes, the nicotine in the smoke raises blood pressure, speeds up the heart rate, and disrupts the flow of blood and air in the lungs. Smoke contains carbon monoxide, which reduces the amount of oxygen carried in the blood to the rest of the body, including the heart and brain. Tar and cancer-causing substances are accumulated in the lungs and airways.
2. High blood pressure - Hypertension commonly occurs without any symptoms. It can damage the heart and blood vessels over time, leading to stroke or heart attack. Other medical conditions, such as obesity, high cholesterol, or diabetes, can raise the risk even further. When you lose weight, exercise more, and reduce your salt intake, your blood pressure may return to normal. Despite this, if blood pressure does not normalise, medication may be required. However, once the medication has been started, it is important to continue with the treatment, which should be supplemented by a healthy lifestyle. Hypertension is treated for the rest of one's life.
3. High Cholesterol- High cholesterol can cause fatty deposits in your blood vessels. These deposits eventually grow and make it difficult for blood to flow normally through your arteries. These deposits can sometimes suddenly rupture and form a clot, resulting in a heart attack or stroke.
4. Diabetes - Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease. Diabetic patients are two to four times more likely to develop coronary artery disease and stroke. It is linked to other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, increased total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, decreased HDL-cholesterol levels, and obesity.
   The basic treatment strategy is to keep the amount of glucose in your blood balanced. Maintaining a healthy weight, a balanced diet, and a regular exercise routine can help to prevent the rise of diabetes mellitus.
5. Obesity - Obese people are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke, even if they do not have any other risk factors, because their excess weight puts additional strain on the heart. It increases blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels while decreasing good cholesterol in the body (HDL).
   Regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and a healthy lifestyle can all aid in weight loss.
6. Insufficient Physical Activity - A sedentary lifestyle contributes to high blood cholesterol and obesity. Regular exercise can help prevent heart and blood vessel disease. Regular exercise also leads to improvements in other cardiovascular risk factors, such as weight loss, lower blood pressure, reduced stress, and higher cholesterol levels.
7. Stress- When you are angry, excited, or stressed, your blood pressure rises. Over a period, your stressful lifestyle may increase your chances of developing high blood pressure.
8. Drug use: Using illegal drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, can cause a spasm in your coronary arteries, resulting in a heart attack.
   (8) Age:  A person's susceptibility to heart disease increases with age. After menopause, oestrogen hormone levels fall, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
9. Gender- Heart attack in men is likely to have three to five times more than in women. However, after menopause, the risk of a heart attack rises in women.
10. Ethnicity- The risk of heart disease varies according to ethnic group. According to one study, South Asians are more likely to have coronary heart disease.
11. Hereditary - If your siblings, parents, or grandparents have a history of a premature heart attack, you may be at a higher risk.
12. Menopause- Many women before menopause appear to be partially protected from coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. A woman's oestrogen level is highest during her reproductive years and decreases during menopause. However, the loss of natural oestrogen in women after menopause may contribute to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Heart Attack diagnosis:

The diagnosis of a heart attack is based on three major findings: chest pain characteristics, an ECG, and a blood test. If two of the three findings are present, the diagnosis of a heart attack is confirmed. The ECG is the most helpful test because it detects characteristic changes within minutes of a heart attack.

Blood tests, which detect proteins released into the bloodstream when a portion of the heart muscle dies, are eventually used to confirm a heart attack. However, these proteins (cardiac enzymes) are only detectable four to six hours after a heart attack, which may be too late to implement treatment if heart attack treatment is based solely on this.

Treatment of Heart Attack: The goal of heart attack treatment is early detection and opening up the blocked artery as quickly and effectively as possible to minimise the extent of damage to the heart muscle. There are currently two treatment options available to unblock the artery. Coronary angioplasty is the first and the most effective way to open up the artery by inserting a balloon or stent through a small puncture in the groin or wrist. It is effective in more than 90% of the cases. The disadvantage of this treatment is that it must be performed in a procedure suite by experienced operators. The second option after angioplasty to treat a heart attack is to administer a strong blood-thinning medication (thrombolytic agents) to dissolve the clot and thus unblock the artery. Any qualified physician can provide this immediately after a heart attack is diagnosed. However, it is only slightly more than 50% effective in opening the blocked artery and may result in serious bleeding complications from other areas, including the brain. 

When to seek medical help?
Consult a cardiologist immediately if you experience chest heaviness, choking, chest pain that radiates to left hand, or right hand, or jaws, or to navel, unexplained sweating, dizziness, fainting, vomiting, or extreme exhaustion. Furthermore, there may be other symptoms of a heart attack, such as a rapid heart rate with dizziness or a feeling of dizziness; in such case too you should see a doctor right away.

If you are concerned with your cardiovascular health, or in case you are considering heart surgery in Delhi or beyond, please feel free to reach out to us any time and we’ll help you as best we can. We offer round the clock emergency heart services and we are considered one of the best heart hospitals in Delhi. We provide for transport in case you are facing difficulties getting to us.