Can a heart attack be treated!

A heart attack occurs when one or more coronary arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle become blocked off. Medically, it is referred to as a myocardial infarction or MI.  If the blood supply is cut off for more that a certain period of time, usually about 20 minutes, the muscle cells in the heart which are supplied by that artery may die.  

Main cause of heart attack

From early life the coronary arteries which supply oxygenated blood to the heart muscle may narrow because of a build up of fatty plaques on their inner lining. This build up of plaque is due to a condition called “atherosclerosis”. If the plaque inside a coronary artery breaks, a blood clot occurs at this spot. This clot may block off the artery completely.  This is when you might feel the symptoms of heart attack.

The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain. This is usually a ‘crushing’ or ‘tight’ pain which may move to your jaw or to your arms particularly on the left side. This pain is not relieved by

resting and is usually prolonged (over 20 minutes). You may also feel short of breath, sweaty or feel sick. Some people may feel light-headed or even lose consciousness. You may become very anxious or afraid. However, 10-15% of people who have a heart attack may not feel anything. This is more common in older people especially women and those with diabetes. Sometimes these people may just feel weak, tired, or short of breath.  

Now the most common question is can heart attack be treated? The answer is yes and it can be treated. Once you arrive in hospital and a heart attack is suspected, an E.C.G. is performed. You will also receive oxygen, pain relief, aspirin and a nitrate spray under your tongue. Nitrates keep the arteries relaxed as much as possible so that more blood gets to the heart muscle. Once a heart attack has been diagnosed, the doctor will then decide on the best treatment option for you. It is extremely important that you present to A&E as soon as you experience chest pain as time can save the muscle of your heart. 

The most important decision is to try and open up the blocked artery. This can be achieved in two ways. Firstly you can be given drugs that break down the clot in the artery. These drugs are called “thrombolytics” (clot busting drugs). They are very powerful clot dissolving drugs and there are strict medical conditions for receiving thrombolytics. Your doctor will take great care to find out if you meet these medical conditions thus preventing any potential complications for receiving them. Secondly, patients may go directly to the Cardiac Catherisation Laboratory for “angioplasty”.  Angioplasty involves inserting a wire into the arteries and passing a small balloon into the artery that is blocked. The balloon is then inflated so that the clot and plaque that blocked the artery are pushed to the side. A small metal cage called a stent is inserted to keep the artery open. This allows blood to flow back into the area of the heart muscle that had its blood supply cut off. This may prevent a further area of the heart muscle from dying.