Heart Attack
A ‘heart attack’ is a serious medical emergency. A heart attack occurs when the supply of blood to the muscle of the heart is suddenly cut off, usually by a blood clot causing blockage within the arteries feeding the heart. The ‘damage’ that results from this shortage of blood to the heart muscle is referred to as a ‘heart attack’ otherwise known as a myocardial infarction or MI. Most heart attacks occur in older people over 45 years of age. Men are more likely to have a heart attack than women.
What is a Heart Attack?
A ‘heart attack’ is a serious medical emergency. A heart attack occurs when the supply of blood to the muscle of the heart is suddenly cut off, usually by a blood clot causing blockage within the arteries feeding the heart. The ‘damage’ that results from this shortage of blood to the heart muscle is referred to as a ‘heart attack’ otherwise known as a myocardial infarction or MI. Most heart attacks occur in older people over 45 years of age. Men are more likely to have a heart attack than women.
How do I know if I am having a heart attack?
You or someone near you may be having a heart attack if they experience any of the following symptoms:
- chest pain (which is usually in the centre of the chest): the chest may feel like it is being pressed or squeezed by a heavy object, and pain may move from the chest towards the jaw, the neck or down the arms
- shortness of breath
- a feeling of weakness, dizziness or nausea
- an overwhelming feeling of anxiety which may or may not include an unusual awareness of a racing heartbeat
Please note that not everyone having a heart attack will experience severe chest pain. All of the symptoms mentioned earlier are important. The pain of a heart attack may be mild and is often mistaken for ‘indigestion’. Elderly people and people who suffer from diabetes may have little or no chest pain at all when experiencing a heart attack.
Emergency treatment of a ‘heart attack’
A heart attack is a medical emergency. If you suspect that you or someone you know is having a heart attack, or you are the first to notice any or some of the symptoms described earlier, please call for emergency medical help immediately.
If Aspirin is readily available, give them a tablet of Aspirin (ideally 300mg) to slowly chew and then swallow while waiting for emergency help to arrive. Aspirin helps to thin the blood and restore blood supply to the heart.
Treatment for a heart attack will depend on how much blockage has occurred within the ‘coronary’ arteries supplying the heart and how much damage to the heart muscle has occurred as a result. The longer the delay in starting treatment, the greater the likelihood of a poor outcome after a heart attack.
There are two main types of treatment for a heart attack:
- using medication to dissolve the blood clots, a process known as ‘thrombolysis’
surgery to help restore blood to the heart which may be limited to a ‘keyhole’ repair of blood vessels, a procedure known as ’angioplasty’; or open surgery to ‘bypass’ the blocked artery or arteries.
What causes a heart attack?
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) also known as Ischaemic Heart Disease is a leading cause of heart attacks. CHD is a condition in which coronary arteries (the major blood vessels that supply the heart with blood) get clogged up with deposits of cholesterol. These deposits are called plaques.
During a heart attack, one of the plaques ruptures (or bursts), causing a blood clot to develop at the site of the rupture. The clot may then block the supply of blood running through the coronary artery, triggering a heart attack.
Smoking, a high-fat diet, diabetes, and being overweight or obese all increase your risk of developing CHD.
Complications of a heart attack
Complications of heart attack can be serious and possibly life-threatening. The older you are the more likely you are to experience serious complications following a heart attack. Some of these complications include:
- cardiogenic shock – this is where the muscles of the heart are severely damaged, meaning the heart can no longer supply enough blood to maintain many body functions
- heart rupture – is where the heart’s muscles, walls or valves split apart (rupture)
- arrhythmia – is an abnormal heartbeat, such as a ventricular arrhythmia, where the heart begins beating faster and faster before going into a kind of spasm and then stops beating (cardiac arrest)
These complications can occur quickly after a heart attack and are a leading cause of death. Many people will die suddenly from a complication of a heart attack before reaching hospital.
Contact us to speak to a healthcare advisor for more on the ‘Prevention and Treatment of Heart Attacks and related conditions’.
