It happens when the flow of
oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked and the
heart can’t get oxygen. If blood flow isn’t restored quickly, the section of
heart muscle begins to die. Heart attacks most
often occur as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery
disease. CHD is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up
inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your
heart.
When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition
is called atherosclerosis.
The buildup of plaque occurs over many years. Eventually, an area of plaque can
rupture (break open) inside of an artery. This causes a blood clot to form on
the plaque's surface. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or
completely block blood flow through a coronary artery. If the blockage isn't
treated quickly, the portion of heart muscle fed by the artery begins to die.
Healthy heart tissue is replaced with scar tissue. This heart damage may not be
obvious, or it may cause severe or long-lasting problems.
You might also hear
a heart attack called acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction (MI) or
coronary thrombosis
Symptoms
Its
vary from one person to another. The most common signs are:
Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart
attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest. The
discomfort usually lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back.
It can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. It also can feel like
heartburn or indigestion.
Upper body discomfort. You may feel
pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or
upper part of the stomach (above the belly button).
Shortness of breath. This may be your
only symptom, or it may occur before or along with chest pain or discomfort. It
can occur when you are resting or doing a little bit of physical activity.
Other possible symptoms of a heart attack include:
·
Breaking
out in a cold sweat
·
Feeling
unusually tired for no reason, sometimes for days (especially if you are a
woman)
·
Nausea
(feeling sick to the stomach) and vomiting
·
Light-headedness
or sudden dizziness
·
Any
sudden, new symptom or a change in the pattern of symptoms you already have
(for example, if your symptoms become stronger or last longer than usual)
- pain in
arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach: for some people, the pain or tightness
is severe, while other people just feel uncomfortable
- sweating
- feeling
light-headed
- become
short of breath
- feeling
nauseous or vomiting
How is diagnosed?
- examine you and monitor your heart rate
and blood pressure,
- do an electrocardiogram (ECG) in the ambulance,
- assess your symptoms and medical history,
- give pain relief if needed and oxygen if
your oxygen level is too low,
- give you aspirin if not given already,
- Transfer you to the most suitable
hospital.
How is treated?
When you arrive at
hospital you will receive treatment for your blocked artery.
Either you will have a Primary Percutaneous Coronary
Intervention (PPCI) which is an emergency coronary
angioplasty. It involves reopening your blocked coronary artery,
restoring the blood supply to the part of your heart that is starved of blood,
which helps to save as much of your heart muscle as possible.Or you will have
Thrombolysis, also called a ‘clot buster’. This involves injecting a medicine
into a vein to dissolve the blood clot and restore the blood supply to your
heart. Sometimes this may be given to you in the ambulance.In some types of
heart attack people do not receive either of these two treatments because they
will not benefit from them.If you have had a heart attack you can dramatically
reduce the risk of having another heart attack and future heart problems by keeping your
heart healthy and taking your
medicines.
If you're over 40 you should ask your doctor or
nurse for a heart health
check to assess
your risk of having a heart attack in the next 10 years.
