How Is a Heart Attack Treated?
Early treatment can prevent or limit damage to the
heart muscle. Acting fast, at the first symptoms of heart attack, can save your
life. Medical personnel can begin diagnosis and treatment even before you get
to the hospital.
Certain treatments are usually started right away if
a heart attack is suspected, even before the diagnosis is confirmed. These
include:
- Oxygen
- Aspirin to prevent further blood clotting
- Nitroglycerin, to reduce the workload on the
heart and improve blood flow through the coronary arteries
- Treatment for chest pain
Once the diagnosis of heart attack is confirmed or
strongly suspected, treatments to try to restore blood flow to the heart are
started as soon as possible. Treatments include medicines and medical
procedures.
Medicines
A number of different kinds of medicines may be used
to treat heart attack. They include the following.
Thrombolytic Medicines
These medicines (also called clot busters) are used
to dissolve blood clots that are blocking the coronary arteries. To be most
effective, these medicines must be given within 1 hour after the start of heart
attack symptoms.
Beta Blockers
These medicines decrease the workload on your heart.
Beta blockers also are used to relieve chest pain or discomfort and to help
prevent additional heart attacks. Beta blockers also are used to correct
arrhythmias
(irregular heartbeats).
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors
These medicines lower blood pressure and reduce the
strain on your heart. They also help slow down further weakening of the heart
muscle.
Anticoagulants
These medicines thin the blood and prevent clots
from forming in your arteries.
Antiplatelet Medicines
These medicines (such as aspirin and clopidogrel)
stop platelets (a type of blood cell) from clumping together and forming
unwanted clots.
Other Medicines
Medicines may also be given to relieve pain and
anxiety, and to treat arrhythmias, which often occur during a heart attack.
Medical Procedures
If medicines cant stop a heart attack, medical
proceduressurgical or nonsurgicalmay be used. These procedures
include the following.
Angioplasty
This nonsurgical procedure can be used to open
coronary arteries that are blocked by a blood clot. During
angioplasty,
a catheter (a thin, flexible tube) with a balloon on the end is threaded
through a blood vessel to the blocked coronary artery. Then, the balloon is
inflated to push the plaque against the wall of the artery. This widens the
inside of the artery, restoring blood flow.
During angioplasty, a small mesh tube called a
stent
may be put in the artery to help keep it open. Some stents are coated with
medicines that help prevent the artery from becoming blocked again.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Coronary
artery bypass grafting is a surgery in which arteries or veins are taken
from other areas of your body and sewn in place to bypass (that is, go around)
blocked coronary arteries. This provides a new route for blood flow to the
heart muscle.
Treatment After You Leave the Hospital
Most people spend several days in the hospital after
a heart attack. When you leave the hospital, treatment doesnt stop. At
home, your treatment may include daily medicines and
cardiac
rehabilitation (rehab). Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes,
including quitting smoking, losing weight, changing your diet, and increasing
your physical activity, to lower your chances of having another heart attack.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Your doctor may prescribe cardiac rehab to help you
recover from a heart attack and to help prevent another heart attack. Almost
everyone who has had a heart attack can benefit from rehab. The heart is a
muscle, and the right exercise will strengthen it.
But cardiac rehab isnt only about exercise. It
also includes education, counseling, and learning about reducing your risk
factors. Rehab will help you learn the best way to take care of yourself after
having a heart attack and how to prevent having another one.
The cardiac rehab team may include doctors (your
family doctor, a cardiologist, and/or a surgeon), nurses, exercise specialists,
physical and occupational therapists, dietitians, and psychologists or other
behavioral therapists. |