What is a heart attack?
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when the blood flow to your heart is stopped or significantly blocked. Without blood, your heart doesn’t get oxygen, which quickly damages or kills the heart muscles. As a result, the muscle can’t work, and you have a heart attack.
What health condition most often causes a heart attack?
Coronary artery disease is by far the leading cause of heart attacks. This condition occurs when you develop atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries due to cholesterol plaques. Without treatment, the fatty plaques keep enlarging and blocking the flow of blood.
You can also have a heart attack when atherosclerotic plaque ruptures, creating a blood clot that stops blood from flowing through the artery.
Though not a common cause of heart attacks, a small number of people with angina or chest pain develop coronary artery spasms. The spasms suddenly tighten the artery and restrict blood supply.
What symptoms develop if I have a heart attack?
The symptoms caused by a heart attack include:
- Chest pain
- Chest pressure or tightness
- Pain in your neck, jaw, shoulders, or back
- Shortness of breath
- Sudden indigestion or heartburn
- Nausea or abdominal pain
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Cold sweat
- Fatigue
Women and men both have chest pain, but women are more likely to experience uncommon symptoms like fatigue, indigestion, and pain in their upper back or shoulder.
How is a heart attack treated?
Your initial treatment in the emergency department may include medications to dissolve a clot or an interventional procedure to clear the blockage, such as angioplasty and stenting.
Once discharged, the team at Trident Cardiology Associates, PA, provides the ongoing support you need to recover and regain optimal health. They recommend a cardiac rehabilitation program or work with you to develop a customized diet, exercise, and stress reduction plan.
Your provider also prescribes essential medications to help you maintain a healthy heart. For example, you may need medications to thin your blood, lower your blood pressure, prevent blood clots, relieve chest pain, and generally reduce the overall stress on your heart.
If you didn’t have an interventional procedure in the emergency department, they monitor your heart and blood vessels with echocardiograms. They can then determine when it’s time to perform a heart catheterization to treat artery blockages.
If you need comprehensive and compassionate care after a heart attack, call Trident Cardiology Associates, PA, or schedule an appointment online today.
