TREATMENT
Each minute after a heart attack, more heart tissue deteriorates or dies. Restoring blood flow quickly helps prevent heart damage.
Medications
Medications given to treat a heart attack might include:
• Aspirin. It reduces blood clotting, thus helping maintain blood flow through a narrowed artery.
• Thrombolytics. These drugs, also called clotbusters, help dissolve a blood clot that's blocking blood flow to your heart. The earlier you receive a Thrombolytics drug after a heart attack, the greater the chance you'll survive and have less heart damage.
• Antiplatelet agents. Emergency room doctors may give you other drugs known as platelet aggregation inhibitors to help prevent new clots and keep existing clots from getting larger.
• Other blood-thinning medications. You'll likely be given other medications, such as heparin, to make your blood less "sticky" and less likely to form clots. Heparin is given intravenously or by an injection under your skin.
• Pain relievers. You might be given a pain reliever, such as morphine.
• Nitroglycerin. This medication, used to treat chest pain (angina), can help improve blood flow to the heart by widening (dilating), the blood vessels.
• Beta blockers. These medications help relax your heart muscle, slow your heartbeat and decrease blood pressure, making your heart's job easier. Beta blockers can limit the amount of heart muscle damage and prevent future heart attacks.
• ACE inhibitors. These drugs lower blood pressure and reduce stress on the heart.
• Statins. These drugs help control your blood cholesterol.
Surgical and other procedures
In addition to medications, you might have one of these procedures to treat your heart attack:
• Coronary angioplasty and stenting. In this procedure, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), doctors insert a long, thin tube (catheter) that's passed through an artery in your groin or wrist to a blocked artery in your heart. If you've had a heart attack, this procedure is often done immediately after a cardiac catheterization, a procedure used to find blockages.
This catheter has a special balloon that, once in position, is briefly inflated to open a blocked coronary artery. A metal mesh sent might then be inserted into the artery to keep it open long term, restoring blood flow to the heart. Depending on your condition, you might get a stent coated with a slow-releasing medication to help keep your artery open.
• Coronary artery bypass surgery. In some cases, doctors perform emergency bypass surgery at the time of a heart attack. If possible, however, you might have bypass surgery after your heart has had time (about 3 to 7 days) to recover from your heart attack.
Bypass surgery involves sewing veins or arteries in place beyond a blocked or narrowed coronary artery, allowing blood flow to the heart to bypass the narrowed section.
Once blood flow to your heart is restored and your condition is stable, you're likely to remain in the hospital.
• Cardiac Rehabilitation. Your doctor may recommend cardiac Rehabilitation to help you recover from a heart attack and to help prevent another heart attack. Nearly everyone who has had a heart attack can benefit from rehab. Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program that may help improve the health and well-being of people who have heart problems.
The cardiac rehab team may include doctors, nurses, exercise specialists, physical and occupational therapist, dietitians or nutritionists, and psychologists or other mental health specialists.
Rehab has 2 parts:
• Education, counseling and training. This part of rehab helps you understand your heart condition and find ways to reduce your risk for future heart problems. The rehab team will help you learn how to cope with the stress of adjusting to a new lifestyle and how to deal with yours fears about the future.
• Exercise training. This part helps you learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your muscles and improve your stamina. Your exercise plan will be based on your personal abilities, needs and interests.
Medications
Medications given to treat a heart attack might include:
• Aspirin. It reduces blood clotting, thus helping maintain blood flow through a narrowed artery.
• Thrombolytics. These drugs, also called clotbusters, help dissolve a blood clot that's blocking blood flow to your heart. The earlier you receive a Thrombolytics drug after a heart attack, the greater the chance you'll survive and have less heart damage.
• Antiplatelet agents. Emergency room doctors may give you other drugs known as platelet aggregation inhibitors to help prevent new clots and keep existing clots from getting larger.
• Other blood-thinning medications. You'll likely be given other medications, such as heparin, to make your blood less "sticky" and less likely to form clots. Heparin is given intravenously or by an injection under your skin.
• Pain relievers. You might be given a pain reliever, such as morphine.
• Nitroglycerin. This medication, used to treat chest pain (angina), can help improve blood flow to the heart by widening (dilating), the blood vessels.
• Beta blockers. These medications help relax your heart muscle, slow your heartbeat and decrease blood pressure, making your heart's job easier. Beta blockers can limit the amount of heart muscle damage and prevent future heart attacks.
• ACE inhibitors. These drugs lower blood pressure and reduce stress on the heart.
• Statins. These drugs help control your blood cholesterol.
Surgical and other procedures
In addition to medications, you might have one of these procedures to treat your heart attack:
• Coronary angioplasty and stenting. In this procedure, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), doctors insert a long, thin tube (catheter) that's passed through an artery in your groin or wrist to a blocked artery in your heart. If you've had a heart attack, this procedure is often done immediately after a cardiac catheterization, a procedure used to find blockages.
This catheter has a special balloon that, once in position, is briefly inflated to open a blocked coronary artery. A metal mesh sent might then be inserted into the artery to keep it open long term, restoring blood flow to the heart. Depending on your condition, you might get a stent coated with a slow-releasing medication to help keep your artery open.
• Coronary artery bypass surgery. In some cases, doctors perform emergency bypass surgery at the time of a heart attack. If possible, however, you might have bypass surgery after your heart has had time (about 3 to 7 days) to recover from your heart attack.
Bypass surgery involves sewing veins or arteries in place beyond a blocked or narrowed coronary artery, allowing blood flow to the heart to bypass the narrowed section.
Once blood flow to your heart is restored and your condition is stable, you're likely to remain in the hospital.
• Cardiac Rehabilitation. Your doctor may recommend cardiac Rehabilitation to help you recover from a heart attack and to help prevent another heart attack. Nearly everyone who has had a heart attack can benefit from rehab. Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program that may help improve the health and well-being of people who have heart problems.
The cardiac rehab team may include doctors, nurses, exercise specialists, physical and occupational therapist, dietitians or nutritionists, and psychologists or other mental health specialists.
Rehab has 2 parts:
• Education, counseling and training. This part of rehab helps you understand your heart condition and find ways to reduce your risk for future heart problems. The rehab team will help you learn how to cope with the stress of adjusting to a new lifestyle and how to deal with yours fears about the future.
• Exercise training. This part helps you learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your muscles and improve your stamina. Your exercise plan will be based on your personal abilities, needs and interests.
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