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What
is a heart attack ? |
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“A heart attack (also called
myocardial infarction)
is when part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies
because it isn't receiving oxygen. Oxygen is carried
to the heart by the arteries (blood vessels). Most heart
attacks are caused by a blockage in these arteries.
Usually the blockage is caused by arteriosclerosis,
which is the buildup of fatty deposits (called plaque)
inside the artery. This buildup is like the gunk that
builds up in a drainpipe and slows the flow of water.
Heart attacks can also be caused by a blood clot that
gets stuck in a narrow part of an artery to the heart.
Clots are more likely to form where atherosclerosis
has made an artery more narrow”.
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Symptoms
of a heart attack |
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The
pain of a heart attack can feel like bad heartburn.
Feel a pressure or crushing pain in your chest, sometimes
with sweating, nausea or vomiting. Feel pain that extends
from your chest into the jaw, left arm or left shoulder.
Feel tightness in your chest. Have shortness of breath
for more than a couple of seconds.
Don't
ignore the pain or discomfort. If you think you are
having heart problems or a heart attack, get help immediately.
The sooner you get treatment, the greater the chance
that the doctors can prevent further damage to the heart
muscle.”
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How to face a heart
attack?
“Right away, call for an ambulance to take you
to the hospital. While you wait for the ambulance
to come, chew one regular tablet of aspirin. Don't
take the aspirin if you're allergic to aspirin.
If you can, go to a hospital with advanced care facilities
for people with heart attacks. In these medical centers,
the latest heart attack technology is available 24
hours a day. This technology includes rapid thrombolysis
(using medicines called "clot busters"),
cardiac catheterization and angioplasty.
In the hospital, you might be given "clot busters"
that reopen the arteries to your heart very fast.
Nurses and technicians will place an IV line (intravenous
line) in your arm to give you medicines. They will
also do an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), give you
oxygen to breathe and watch your heart rate and rhythm
on a monitor”
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Chest Pain 
