Heart Attack Awareness – What You Should Know

The heart is a vital organ of the body. Without it, blood cannot be pumped to the different organs and the body will be deprived of oxygen. Medical conditions involving the heart are typically dangerous and can be fatal. If your family has history of having a member who suffered from heart attack, the more you need to be aware of what heart attack is, what you can do to prevent it and how to react when it happens.

What is heart attack?

Heart attack, or myocardial infarction in medical terms, happens when heart tissues do not have enough blood supply because of reduced blood flow. This usually happens when a clot prevent normal blood flow from happening and deprives the heart tissues of the oxygen that they need. When this happens, the affected tissues of the heart become damaged. Typically, it is an imbalance between the demand and supply of oxygen.

How will I know if someone is having heart attack?

Unlike what you may have seen in television or movies, heart attack is not as exaggerated as it may seem. Others do not present signs and symptoms. For those who manifest signs and symptoms, they will usually complain of chest pain. It happens suddenly and is not relieved by rest and medications. The pain may also be felt on the left arm, shoulder, and neck. The person may sweat excessively, feel clammy and look pale. There may also be presence of a rapid heart rate and rapid breathing. They may also complain of feeling faint and have the urge to vomit. Heart attack can occur at any time of the day regardless of the activity. The person may be at work, playing, or just taking a rest.

How can heart attack be prevented?

Having a healthy lifestyle can make help you prevent heart attack. Avoid smoking. It destroys your lungs, making oxygen circulation in the body poor. Without adequate oxygen, you are in greater risk of destroying your heart’s tissues. Always have well-balanced meals. Fruits and vegetables can reduce certain cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure. When blood pressure goes uncontrolled, you become more at risk for heart attack. Exercise regularly. It strengthens your heart muscles and relieves you from stress.

What to do when heart attack happens

Get medical help immediately. If you are the one having a heart attack, call the nearest hospital or your doctor. If you see a family member having heart attack, you can call the hospital or drive that person to the hospital immediately.

Take medications. If you have been prescribed with nitrates such as nitroglycerin, take them immediately. Nitroglycerin increases the supply of oxygen, helping alleviate symptoms of heart attack. Another medication that you may have been prescribed with is aspirin. Aspirin is an anticoagulant that helps prevent your blood from clotting. However, without the doctor’s prescription, taking aspirin can be potentially dangerous. Make sure that it has been prescribed before taking one.

If the person is unconscious and you know cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, start immediately while waiting for medical help. CPR can help deliver oxygen to the person, preventing the worsening of symptoms and effect of heart attack.

Heart attack can be fatal when not treated immediately. Submit yourself for medical check-ups so that if you have heart problems, your doctor can prescribe you with medications to control it.

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What is a heart attack?

A heart attack (also called a coronary thrombosis or myocardial infarction), is caused by a complete blockage of one of the coronary arteries. As a result, one part of the heart muscle is permanently deprived of oxygen. The blockage is often caused by a blood clot formed inside a coronary artery.

Most heart attacks are caused by a clot blocking one of the coronary arteries (the blood vessels bringing blood and oxygen to the heart muscle). The clot usually forms in a coronary artery previously narrowed from changes related to a condition called atherosclerosis. The atherosclerotic plaque (or build up) inside the arterial wall sometimes cracks, and triggers the formation of a clot, also called a thrombus.

A clot in the coronary artery interrupts the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle, leading to the death of heart cells in that area. The damaged heart muscle loses its ability to contract, and the remaining heart muscle needs to compensate for that weakened area.

During the first hour or so of the blockage, the pain can be extremely severe. It’s usually felt as a crushing sensation in the centre of the chest and can also affect the arms jaw and neck. It’s also often accompanied by sweating, nausea and/or breathlessness, which lasts much longer than an angina attack.

Chest pain behind the sternum (breastbone) is also a major symptom of heart attack, but in many cases the pain may be subtle or even completely absent. This is called a "silent heart attack" and can especially occur in the elderly and diabetic. The pain usually radiates from your chest to your arms or shoulder; neck, teeth, or jaw; abdomen or back, but in some patients, the pain is only felt in one of these other locations.

Some patients report the pain as intense and severe or quite subtle and confusing.

It can also feel like:

• squeezing or heavy pressure
• a tight band around your chest
• "an elephant sitting or lying on your chest"
• bad indigestion

Other symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Cough
• Light-headedness’ – dizziness
• Fainting
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sweating , which may be profuse
• Feeling of "impending doom"
• Anxiety

Permanent damage to the heart can follow persistent total blockage of the coronary artery as the affected area of heart muscle forms a scar. Depending on the scar’s exact location, it may be left weaker in its pumping action or there may be no noticeable impairment at all.

In the first few days after a heart attack, the heart can be rather irritable with an accompanying erratic heart rate. This is why continuous observation in a health care setting is vital in those first few days.

As the scar becomes fully formed, the heart stabilizes and this surveillance is no longer required. Active rehabilitation ensures most people with uncomplicated heart attacks are able to lead perfectly normal lives afterwards.

Symptoms Of Angina	Symptoms Of A Heart Attack
Heaviness or tightness in the centre of the chest which may spread to the arms, neck, jaw, face, back or stomach.	Type of discomfort or pain is similar to angina, but is sometimes more severe.
Angina often happens when the person is doing a physical activity or is under some kind of emotional stress.	A heart attack can happen at any time including whilst the person is at rest.
Symptoms usually disappear within 10-15 minutes.	If symptoms last more than 15 minutes, it is likely to be a heart attack.
Symptoms are relieved by resting or using nitrate medication.	Symptoms are not fully alleviated by resting or using nitrates

Exercise after a heart attack?

Disclaimer: This article is intended for information only, and to let you know the kinds of exercise your doctor may prescribe during your recovery period following a heart attack.  DO NOT follow any exercise programme without the guidance of your doctor.

Returning to Fitness and activity after heart problems

Feeling apprehensive as you leave hospital is normal. If you find you need support, you should contact a member of the support team who is following you up on your discharge from hospital.

Although you’ll receive follow up appointments at the hospital after you leave, your family health care provider will also follow up your care. Within the first few days after you’ve been discharged home, information about your stay in hospital should be forwarded on to your GP. If you need to see him in the first few days after leaving hospital, take your discharge letter and medicines with you as the information from the hospital may not yet have reached him.

You’ll need to have your cholesterol levels checked approximately 4-6 weeks after your discharge. If you have raised cholesterol or fats in your blood, your health care provider may suggest your whole family is checked. He’ll then periodically check your blood fat levels to ensure they are kept at a reasonable level.

Tiredness is very common during the first few weeks after discharge from hospital after a heart attack. But if you notice excessive tiredness, increasing breathlessness or more frequent angina attacks, then you should make arrangements to see your health care provider for a check up.

If you suspect you’re experiencing side effects from your medication, inform your health care practitioner.

Never stop taking your medication without consulting your health care provider first!

Some of the medication you started taking in hospital can affect your blood pressure. You should have it checked at least monthly initially. Once your blood pressure is properly stabilised, your health care provider will probably want to check it every 3-4 months.

 

Exercise programmes

A good exercise programme assists the blood in circulating around the body and keeps your heart healthy. Therefore it’s an important part of your recovery.

Exercise is especially important in the early stages of your recovery, particularly if you spend a lot of time sitting in a chair or lying in bed.

Aim to do a little more each day, and try not to worry if you’re unable to increase your activity when you think you should. Wait a few more days, and then try again. Next time you’ll probably succeed.

Here are some tips to help you exercise safely:

• Try to be active at different times throughout the day rather than sitting down for lengthy periods of time.
• Exercise should not be done immediately after meals.
• Avoid exercising in extremes of weather i.e. when it is hot, cold or windy.
• Walking is a safe exercise to undertake whilst you recover. Gradually build up within your own limits the speed and distance of you’re walking during the period of your recovery.
• You may find walking for short distances more frequently easier than taking one long walk.

If you were given a home exercise leaflet in your discharge information pack, be assured, the exercises are safe to undertake both in hospital and at home.

Following these exercises will aid your recovery and rehabilitation. However, please remember they are only intended as a guide. As with all exercise you will discover your own limitations and how to adapt to them. If you’re not sure if what you are doing is safe, contact your Cardiac Nurse or ask your health care provider.

The series of activities laid out overleaf have been specially designed to aid your recovery and rehabilitation.

They are intended as a guide only!

Attempt all the exercises; you’ll discover your own limitations, and how to adapt accordingly.

If you experience any pain, shortness of breath or dizziness whilst doing exercises STOP and inform your health care provider immediately!

Home Exercise Programme

In the first few weeks of your recovery you should not do anything which requires you to:

• lift

• pull or push

• use a sudden burst of energy.

Also avoid becoming constipated!

Week 1

• Stay within your own house and garden. Use the stairs only once a day (Once up and once down). If you need to use the stairs more often than once, e.g. to go to the toilet, go up and down slowly and don’t be afraid to stop if you experience chest pain or breathlessness.
• You can walk around the house and garden, but for the first week avoid going out on very cold, wet or windy days, or in very hot weather.
• You can carry out some light activities, such as washing and drying the dishes, reading, watching TV and shaving, but avoid housework, e.g. washing, cleaning windows, vacuuming and ironing.
• When you bath or shower make sure the water is not too hot.
• Have a rest in the afternoon – make yourself comfortable on the settee and put your feet up.

• Try not to have too many visitors as this can be very tiring. Ask visitors not to smoke in your company as you may find this distressing – particularly if you are trying to give up yourself.
• Have a good night’s sleep; avoid coffee or tea at bedtime as these can keep you awake. Light reading or listening to music may help you get to sleep, but if you find getting to sleep is difficult, relaxation exercises may help.

Week 2

• Try to walk a little further this week, away from the house but avoiding hilly areas. Increase this distance a little every day. Attempt the stairs two or three times a day at a steady pace and continue with light housework. Do not attempt to carry out any other household tasks.
• If you are still feeling tired, continue to have a rest in the afternoon and make sure you get enough sleep at night.
• By your second week at home you may want to start making love again, (see the section on sex). Try light house work – dusting, washing dishes, cooking, still keep stair climbing to a minimum.

Week 3

• Continue to increase the distance you walk each day, and go for a walk twice a day whenever possible. Use the stairs three to four times each day – but do so steadily.
• Increase your activities to include light shopping and light gardening tasks such as weeding or planting seedlings. Do not do any digging.
• Try to manage without an afternoon rest unless you are feeling very tired, but try to make sure you get good nights sleep.

Week 4

• Aim towards resuming your normal way of life this week.
• Try walking up a slight incline and continue to increase the distance you walk each day as this is extremely good for you.
• You can attempt most every day activities but start gradually e.g. vacuuming, sweeping, light painting, using a light hover mower, ironing.

One Month

Continue to resume everyday activities but do not do any heavy lifting. Lifting should be avoided for at least 3-4 months and then resumed gradually – (however you must stop immediately if any chest pain occurs when you lift something). Take regular walks, as this is an excellent form of exercise.

Weeks 6-8

• Wash the windows

• Wash the car

• Watering (with a can)

• Mowing

Driving after a heart attack

You must not drive for at least one month after your heart attack or admission with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

If you make a satisfactory recovery with no complications, your hospital consultant or health care provider will give you medical clearance to drive, but be sure you obtain this clearance; otherwise it could invalidate your insurance.

The DVLC (UK) do not need to be informed unless there are any further problems, or unless you have any queries, but remember, you’ll need to inform your insurance company about your illness.

HGV or PCV (formerly PSV), drivers (UK) are allowed to return to driving three months after an uncomplicated heart attack – provided they do not have angina, and can pass an exercise treadmill test.

Finally, most patients who have a heart attack or angina can eventually lead a perfectly normal life. Statistics show that after about two years the risk of another attack is no greater than for anyone else. So, have confidence. Try and understand your body and your heart and treat them with respect.