Heart attack

Definition

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle itself—the myocardium—is severely reduced or stopped. Oxygen can't get to the heart muscle, causing tissue damage or tissue death.The reduction or stoppage happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle areblocked. The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction. A heart attack is also sometimes called a coronary thrombosis or coronary occlusion.

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Causes of heart attack

It is usually caused by the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances), a process called atherosclerosis. The plaque can eventually burst; tear or rupture, and a blood clot forms and blocks the artery. This leads to a heart attack.

If the blood supply is cut off for more than a few minutes, muscle cells suffer permanent injury and die. This can kill or disable someone, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged.

A heart attack may be caused by:

•Thickening of the walls of the arteries feeding the heart muscle (coronary arteries)

•Accumulation of fatty plaques in the coronary arteries

•Narrowing of the coronary arteries

•Spasm of the coronary arteries

•Development of a blood clot in the coronary arteries

Signs & Symptoms of Heart Attack

•Chest discomfort.Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain, especially with: exercise or exertion, emotional stress, cold weather, and a large meal.

•Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

•Shortness of breathmayoccurwith or without chest discomfort

•Other signs: sweating, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, weakness, Anxiety especially feeling a sense of doom or panic without apparent reason, confusion, and fainting.

Risk Factors

These factors increase the chance of developing heart attack:

Gender: male and aging.

Obesity

Smoking

High blood pressure

Sedentary lifestyle

High blood cholesterol Normal: ≥200 mg/dL, and High blood triglycerides

Diabetes

Stress

Family members with heart disease

Modifiable risk factors
Hyperlipidemia / Hypertension
Smoking / Diabetes mellitus
Stress / Type A behavior
Oral contraceptives / Obesity
Non-Modifiable risk factors
Age / Gender
Race / Genetic

Cardiac conditions cause heart attack:

  1. angina pectoris

Angina – pain

Pectoris – chest

Is transient chest pain caused by myocardial ischemia, it usually lasts for 3-5 minutes and subsides when the precipitating factor is relieved, relieved with rest and nitroglycerin.

  1. Myocardial infarction

irreversible myocardial cellular injury related to sustained ischemia that results in permanent necrosis.

First Aid Management

The more time that passes, the less likely it is that the person can be revived and, if revived, the more likely it is that brain damage will have occurred. Brain damage is likely if cardiac arrest lasts for more than 5 minutes, and death is likely if cardiac arrest lasts for more than 10 minutes. Fewer than 5% of people who are not already hospitalized when they have a cardiac arrest survive to be discharged from the hospital, and many survivors have brain damage.If you're with someone has chest discomfort, especially with one or more of the other signs, don't wait longer than a few minutes (no more than 5) before calling for help.

•Call 911 immediately or get to a hospital right away.

•If the patient is a known case of heart disease;

•Provide him with Oxygen if available.

•give him the prescribed nitroglycerine as follows:

•Give him the prescribed nitroglycerine as follows:

•Put the tablet under the victim’s tongue Or place it between the cheek and gum.

•Ask him not to swallow it.

•Repeat the dose 3 times if not effective.

If he is using spray:

•Ask him to open his mouth and hold the sprayer just in front of his mouth.

•Press the button on the top.

•Spray once under the tongue or inside the cheek.

•Ask him to close his mouth. Wait a few seconds before he swallow.

•Do not give any medication if the patient develops signs of shock.

•After taking one tablet or spraying once, ask him to sit for 5 minutes.

•If the angina goes away, rest for a while and continue his normal routine.

•If the angina did not pass away : repeat for 3 times (3 minutes in between)

•If his heart stops beating (assess carotid artery) perform the CPR.