 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Our Polling |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
| My main cholesterol strategy is: |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
MEDICATIONS
Medications Used in Treating Heart Attack
Beta blockers to decrease the workload on your heart by slowing your heart rate. This makes your heart beat with less force and lowers your blood pressure. Some beta blockers are also used to relieve angina (chest pain) and in heart attack patients to help prevent additional heart attacks. They are also used to correct irregular heartbeat.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to lower blood pressure and reduce the strain on your heart. They are used in some patients after a heart attack to increase survival rate and help slow down further weakening of the heart.
Nitrates, such as nitroglycerin, to relax blood vessels and stop chest pain.
Anticoagulants (an-ty-ko-AG-u-lants) to thin the blood and prevent clots from forming in your arteries.
Antiplatelet (an-ty-PLAYT-lit) medications (such as aspirin and clopidigrel) to stop platelets from clumping together to form clots. These medications are given to people who have had a heart attack, have angina, or who experience angina after angioplasty.
Glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitors, which are potent antiplatelet medicines given intravenously to prevent clots from forming in your arteries.
Medicines to relieve pain and anxiety.
Medicines to treat arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms), which often occur during a heart attack.
Oxygen therapy.
The length of your hospital stay after a heart attack depends on your condition and response to treatment. Most people spend several days in the hospital after a heart attack. While in the hospital, your heart will be monitored, and you will receive needed medications. You will probably have further testing, and you will be treated for any complications that arise.
General information about categories of medications that are used to treat cardiovascular conditions.
Alpha-adrenergic Antagonists
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
Anticoagulants
Aspirin
Aspirin Therapy for Reducing Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke
Beta-adrenergic Blockers (Beta Blockers)
Bile Acid Sequestrants
Calcium Channel Blockers
Digitalis Medicines
Diuretics
Ezetimibe
Niacin (Nicotinic Acid)
Nitroglycerine and Nitrates
Statins (HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors)
Thrombolytics
How is a Heart Attack Treated?
A heart attack is a medical emergency. Delaying treatment can mean lasting damage to your heart or even death. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances of recovering. Your treatment may begin in the ambulance or in the emergency room and continue in a special area called a coronary care unit or CCU.
In the Hospital
If you are having a heart attack, doctors will:
Work quickly to restore blood flow to the heart
Continuously monitor your vital signs to detect and treat complications
Restoring blood flow to the heart is vital to prevent or limit damage to the heart muscle and to prevent another heart attack.
The main treatments are the use of thrombolytic ("clot-busting") drugs and procedures such as angioplasty.
Thrombolytic drugs ("clot-busters") are used to dissolve blood clots that are blocking blood flow to the heart. When given soon after a heart attack begins, these drugs can limit or prevent permanent damage to the heart. To be most effective, they need to be given within 1 hour after of the start of heart attack symptoms.
Angioplasty procedures are used to open blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. A stent, which is a tiny metal mesh tube, may be placed in the artery to help keep it open.
Coronary artery bypass surgery uses arteries or veins from other areas in your body to bypass your blocked coronary arteries.
The CCU is specially equipped with monitors that continuously measure your vital signs. Those that can show signs of complications include:
EKG, which detects any heart rhythm (arrhythmia) or functional problems
Blood pressure
Pulse oximetry, which measures the amount of oxygen in the blood and provides an early warning sign of a low level of oxygen in the blood.
PROCEDURES
Treatment & Therapy
Surgery
Coronary heart disease can frequently be controlled with drugs alone. However, if the blood vessels have become very narrowed or if drug treatment alone is not controlling symptoms, surgery may be needed to open up or replace the blocked arteries.
Coronary angioplasty
Coronary angioplasty - or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) as it is called medically - is a procedure used to treat angina. It involves squashing the fatty build up in a blocked artery and stretching the artery walls so that more blood and oxygen can flow to your heart muscle. It is performed under local anaesthetic.
Angioplasty may be recommended if your angina cannot be controlled with drugs, if angina is limiting your life, if you experience angina at rest (it comes on when you are not exercising or exerting yourself).
Types of angioplasty
Balloon angioplasty, often known simply as balloon treatment, was the first type of angioplasty used. In it the surgeon passes a fine hollow tube or catheter, on the end of which is a small sausage-shaped balloon, into an artery in the groin or arm - and directs it under x-ray guidance to the blocked artery.
The balloon is then inflated, compressing the fatty build up against the artery walls. The surgeon then lets down the balloon and removes it. Another common type of angioplasty involves inserting a short stainless steel mesh tube called a stent at the same time as the balloon. As the balloon is deflated, the stent is expanded and left in place to help keep the artery open. This method helps to prevent the problem of reblockage (restenosis) which affects around a third of people following conventional balloon treatment.
Doctors are also trying out a number of newer ways to perform angioplasty using a variety of devices to cut or drill out fatty deposits, vapourise them with a laser, or blast them with ultrasound. However, as yet, these are not routinely available.
Coronary bypass surgery
Coronary bypass surgery, medically known as coronary artery bypass graft of CABG (pronounced 'cabbage') is an operation in which a blood vessel from another part of your body is grafted between the aorta (the main artery leading from your heart) and your coronary artery or arteries to bypass blockages and restore blood flow to your heart. A bypass can be done each of your four coronary arteries - hence the terms single, double, triple or even quadruple graft - depending on how many arteries are bypassed. The operation can be done using conventional surgical techniques or by keyhole surgery (microsurgery).
Laser surgery
In the past few years an experimental technique known as transmyocardial laser revascularistion (TMR) has been developed. The technique, which involves using a laser beam to create channels in the wall of the left ventricle allowing oxygen rich blood to flow to the heart muscle, was initially greeted with great excitement because it offered the promise of treating the heart itself rather than the arteries.
Heart transplant
You may be offered a heart transplant if:
Your heart muscle has become weakened (cardiomyopathy).
Your heart's blood vessels are blocked and your heart muscle is damaged.
Apart from your heart problems, you are in otherwise good health.
Other treatments have been tried or excluded.
You are under 60 (in most cases).
You are able and willing to stick to lifestyle changes necessary after the transplant.
In a heart transplant, the heart is removed and replaced with a healthy heart from a donor. A lung transplant may be done at the same time - a heart/lung transplant.
In the past, heart transplants sometimes failed because the person's immune system rejected the transplanted heart. However, with the use of drugs to prevent rejection, heart transplants are now extremely successful. Unfortunately a shortage of donors means that a heart transplant is usually only recommended if you have advanced heart disease.
After a transplant you will need to take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of your life, to stop your body rejecting the transplant, as well as other drugs to help your body fight off infections. The doctor will monitor your new heart at regular intervals for any signs of rejection.
Rest and recovery
The length of time it takes to recover after any of the above procedures depends on which procedure or type of surgery you had, whether you had an anaesthetic and what kind, your age, and your overall state of health. By and large most people can return to work after about 5-7 days following angioplasty and between 2-3 months after conventional bypass surgery.
It's extremely common to be easily upset and tired for the first 3-6 months after surgery - so it's important to get plenty of rest and take it easy. Likewise, it is extremely important to attend a Cardiac Rehabilitation programme to ensure you reach your optimum level of health and understand how to modify lifestyles to minimise chances of future problems.
Forgetfulness is a common problem, and your memory will usually return to normal after about six months, so be patient. If you have had any kind of heart surgery it is extremely important to pay attention to your lifestyle, to watch your diet, and to become more active (both to help promote recovery and to help improve the health of your heart and blood vessels).
Prevention of Heart Attack
How Can I Prevent a Heart Attack?
Most heart attacks are caused by coronary artery disease (CAD). You can help prevent a heart attack by knowing about your risk factors for CAD and heart attack and taking action to lower your risks.
You can lower your risk of having a heart attack, even if you have already had a heart attack or are told that your chances of having a heart attack are high.
To prevent a heart attack, you will most likely need to make lifestyle changes. You may also need to get treatment for conditions that raise your risk.
Make Lifestyle Changes
You can lower your risk for CAD and a heart attack by making healthy lifestyle choices:
Eat a healthy diet to prevent or reduce high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, and maintain a healthy weight
If you smoke, quit
Exercise as directed by your doctor
Lose weight if you are overweight or obese
Treat Related Conditions
In addition to making lifestyle changes, you can help prevent heart attacks by treating conditions you have that make a heart attack more likely:
High blood cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, follow your doctor's advice about lowering your cholesterol. Take medications to lower your cholesterol as directed.
High blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, follow your doctor's advice about keeping your blood pressure under control. Take blood pressure medications as directed.
High blood sugar (diabetes). If you have diabetes, follow your doctor's advice about keeping your blood sugar levels under control. Take medications as directed.
Prevent a Second Heart Attack
If you have already had a heart attack, it is very important to follow your doctor's advice to prevent a second heart attack:
Make lifestyle changes as directed
Take your medications as directed
Follow any other treatment recommended by your doctor, such as cardiac rehabilitation.
By taking these steps, you can prevent or reduce the chance of another heart attack and related complications, such as heart failure.
Make sure that you have an emergency action plan in case you have signs of a second heart attack. Talk to your doctor about making your plan, and talk with your family about it. The plan should include:
The signs and symptoms of a heart attack
Instructions for the prompt use of aspirin and nitroglycerin
How to access emergency medical services in your community (most people dial 9-1-1)
The location of the nearest hospital that offers 24-hour emergency heart care.
Remember, the symptoms of a second heart attack may not be the same as those of a first heart attack. If in doubt, call 9-1-1.
Cardiac Rehabilitation (Rehab)
Your doctor may prescribe cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) to help you recover from a heart attack and help prevent another heart attack. Almost everyone who has survived a heart attack can benefit from rehab.
The cardiac rehab team may include:
Doctors
Your family doctor
A heart specialist
A surgeon
Nurses
Exercise specialists
Physical therapists and occupational therapists<
Dietitians
Psychologists or other behavior therapists.
Rehab has Two Parts:
Exercise training to help you learn how to exercise safely, strengthen your muscles, and improve your stamina. Your exercise plan will be based on your individual ability, needs, and interests. Education, counseling, and training to help you understand your heart condition and find ways to reduce your risk of future heart problems. The cardiac rehab team will help you learn how to cope with the stress of adjusting to a new lifestyle and to deal with your fears about the future.
After You Leave the Hospital
After a heart attack, your treatment may include cardiac rehab in the first weeks or months, checkups and tests, lifestyle changes, and medications. You will need to see your doctor for checkups and tests to see how your heart is doing. Your doctor will most likely recommend lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, losing weight, changing your diet, or increasing your physical activity.
After a heart attack, most people take daily medications. These may include:
Aspirin
Medicines that lower your cholesterol or your blood pressure
Other medicines to help reduce your heart's workload
Always take medications as your doctor directs
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Calendar |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
| « March 2010 » |
|---|
| | | | | | |
|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
