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More and more people who have a heart attack survive if they see a doctor quickly. Knowing what to do when we suspect a myocardial infarction gives ourselves a second chance at life. Find out about the symptoms of a heart attack.

The heartworks hard: in a relaxed adult, it beats about 70 times a minute and pumps 7,200 liters of blood every day. When you get angry, scared or you exercise in the gym without hesitation or you love each other passionately - your heart speeds up even twice. In order for a muscle just the size of its owner's fist to withstand all this, it must be in good shape. Unfortunately, by not taking care of yourself, you increase the risk of serious cardiovascular diseases - including myocardial infarction.

Which increases the risk of having a heart attack

The whole body encircles the blood vessel system:veinsand arteries. Oxygenated and nutritious blood flows through the arteries towards the heart. The ones closest to your heart are called coronary arteries because they surround them like a laurel wreath. An artery is a tube with a well-defined diameter. If you "sin" on a daily basis - you eat fatty and plentifully, do not play sports, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, you are stressed, you do not treat chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes) - the cross-section of these tubes slowly but steadily decreases, and their walls they become less flexible. It usually takes many years. When the so-called atherosclerotic plaque (deposits of cholesterol, triglycerides, proteins), then the blood cannot penetrate them. Less and less oxygen and nutrients reach the heart. And when the atherosclerotic plaque breaks and a blood clot forms in this place - the matter is almost a doomed. A clot at any time (e.g. during exercise or nervousness, when the blood vessels contract naturally) may detach from the artery wall, travel with the blood towards the heart, stop in the most narrowed part of the artery and block it. Then the blood does not flow to the heart and a heart attack occurs.

Symptoms of a heart attack

Tissues in the heart that do not reach the heart die. About the 4th day after the heart attack, the dead cells are cleaned up by the so-called feeding cells. Gradually, their place will be filled with scar tissue, but this will reduce the so-calledthe active mass of the heart, i.e. the part that works well. How large the area of ​​the scar tissue will be (like an extensive infarction) - it is determined by the hours or even minutes that pass from the beginning of the infarction to the time of providing help. Cardiologists even talk about the so-called golden hour - starting therapy at this time gives the best chance to reduce the extent of the infarction and recover. The most important time is right after the first symptoms appear. Within 3 or even 6 hours, an arterial restoration procedure can be performed, and if this is not possible - medications to dissolve the blood clot can be given. There is little that doctors can do 12 hours after the onset of acute myocardial pain. That's why it's so important not to overlook or downplay the symptoms. They are not always characteristic, but most often they are:

  • pain and / or tightness in the chest which may radiate to the shoulders, hands, throat, jaw and even the back; heart attack pain usually lasts more than 30 minutes
  • difficulty breathing and nausea, symptoms similar to food poisoning
  • profuse sweating and unjustified anxiety
  • fainting sometimes.

Not all symptoms have to be experienced by everyone at the same time. There are so-called silent infarcts (e.g. often in people with diabetes), i.e. without the characteristic pain. Moreover, the symptoms of a heart attack are slightly different in women than in men, e.g. stomach problems.

If you have symptoms of a heart attack, call 999 or 112

Don't be afraid of calling the ambulance unnecessarily. If you suspect a heart attack, it's better to be safe than sorry. When calling for help from a landline call 999, from a mobile phone - 112. When the heart attack affects you, if possible, notify a loved one, take a drug containing acetylsalicylic acid (e.g. Aspirin, Acard), which prevents platelets from sticking together, measure yourself pressure, sit or lie down and wait for the doctor. Remember that by limiting movement you reduce the heart's need for oxygen. If you witness a heart attack:

  • call an ambulance
  • when the sick person is conscious - find out how long he has been feeling unwell, has he taken any medications or has heart disease; this will facilitate the work of the resuscitation team
  • put the sick person in a chair before the arrival of the ambulance
  • check his heart rate (preferably in the carotid artery) and - if possible - also his blood pressure
  • if the pressure is high, you can give one dose of nitroglycerin (in an aerosol or a tablet under the tongue) while waiting for help; the dose cannot be repeated more frequently than every quarter of an hour. If your diastolic blood pressure is lower than 100 mmHg or your heart rate toofast - nitroglycerin must not be used
  • try to calm the sick person, you can give a medicine tablet with acetylsalicylic acid.

If the sick person is unconscious:

  • put it comfortably on your back (do not put anything under your head as it makes breathing difficult)
  • check if he is breathing (e.g. by putting a mirror to his mouth or tilting his ear to his mouth)
  • measure your carotid heart rate
  • if you cannot feel your pulse and / or breathing, you must start a resuscitation action as soon as possible because the circulation has stopped
  • check if there is anything in the patient's mouth; if so, replace it with your finger (also take out dentures)
  • perform mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration: pull the patient's jaw towards his chest with one hand, close his nose with the other hand and blow air into his mouth (the chest should rise visibly)
  • If you still cannot feel the pulse, you start the heart massage: put your hands on top of each other and place them between the patient's breasts. You press them tight enough that the sternum bends by 3-4 cm. Every 15 chest compressions we make 2 breaths (one after the other).

You conduct this resuscitation action until the doctor arrives.

Tests and treatments in the event of a heart attack

When the patient is admitted to the hospital, the doctor makes sure that he is dealing with a heart attack. Therefore, basic tests are performed (including heart rhythm, blood pressure, ECG, blood analysis). In the event of cardiac arrest - resuscitation procedures begin quickly, the most important of which is cardiac defibrillation (one-time - may be repeated - low-frequency direct current shock) restoring the correct rhythm of its work. Then, the most common procedure is the so-called primary percutaneous coronary angioplasty, which consists in restoring a clogged coronary artery. A catheter is inserted through a vessel in the groin to reach the heart (the doctor tracks this on a monitor). The catheter has a balloon at the end that widens the narrowed artery. Sometimes a stent is also inserted - a tube that supports the wall of the open artery from the inside. If angioplasty cannot be performed quickly, the patient is given thrombolytic drugs to dissolve the clot closing the coronary artery. Specialists also choose other medications, e.g. to prevent further heart ischemia or clumping of platelets. Sometimes oxygen is also administered. Hospital management depends on the patient's condition. However, he is always connected to equipment that monitors the work of his heart.

To avoid a heart attack

You must first and foremost prevent the development of atherosclerosis and diseasecoronary, therefore:

  • do not smoke
  • do not drink alcohol (occasional glass of dry red wine)
  • exercise every day and do sports at least twice a week
  • reduce animal fats in your diet to a minimum, eat more fish, vegetables and fruits, replace s alt with herbs, garlic, onions
  • learn different relaxation techniques to relieve stress
  • take the medications prescribed by your doctor regularly (if there are no contraindications - prophylactic acetylsalicylic acid tablets)
  • test the level of cholesterol and sugar in the blood, blood pressure
  • visit the doctor regularly for check-ups.

Life after heart attack

If there are no complications, the patient after a minor heart attack may leave the hospital after 5-6 days (usually about 10 days stay). As early as on day 2, physical rehabilitation begins - first, there are gentle movements of the arms and legs on the bed. Doctors are of the opinion that the sooner the entire rehabilitation process begins, the better. Before the patient leaves the hospital, he or she undergoes tests to assess possible cardiac dysfunction (24-hour Holter ECG, heart ultrasound, so-called exercise ECG, sometimes a coronary examination to assess the patency of the coronary arteries). If the specialists are satisfied with the test results - the patient is given drugs and tips on how to continue living in order to prevent another heart attack. And you can live quite normally if you just want to do something for your own heart …

"Zdrowie" monthly

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