Heart+Attacks

** __Introduction__ ** A heart attack is a serious problem in which the blood’s supply to the heart is suddenly blocked usually by a blood clot. The medical term for a heart attack is Myocardial infarction.
 * HEART ATTACKS **

** __What is Heart Attack__ ** When coronary arteries (blood vessels)block with blood clot and heart´s muscle die, it’s called heart attack. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscles with blood and oxygen. Myocardium is the name of the heart muscle that pumps blood into the body through the blood vessels. The heart muscle is similar with other muscle in the body and supply oxygen to function normal. When fibrous tissue (arterial plaque) break their layers, blood can start clot on the surface of the blood vessel wall. More than 1.2 million cases of heart attacks occur every year in the United State.

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__**Heart Attack Signs and Symptons**__ A heart attack is a medical emergency and up to 25 percent heart attack don’t show symptoms likes silent heart attacks. The most common heart attack symptom in women is chest pain or heartburn. Heart attack can occur any moment while working and resting but most cases of heart attack occur in the morning, or during physical activity. The signs and symptoms of heart attack:
 * 1) Chest discomfort.
 * 2) Discomfort in other parts of the body such as jaw, arms, shoulder ,back neck or stomach.
 * 3) Shortness of breath with or without chest pain.
 * 4) Headache.
 * 5) Nausea or vomiting.
 * 6) Wheezing.



** __What Causes a Heart attack?__ ** There are two main causes for a Heart Attack: **1-Coronary Heart disease:** This condition happens when plaque (waxy substance) builds up inside the artery, it means the patient has atherosclerosis. Takes long time until a person has atherosclerosis. When plaque´s area breaks up within the artery, a blood clot is formed on the plaque´s surface. The blood clot can block partially or completely the artery, obstructing the oxygen and blood supply to the heart. **2-Coronary Artery Spasm:** This cause is not as common as Coronary Heart Disease. It happens when the artery has a spasm and because of that the blood flow is cutting off. It is not necessary to have atherosclerosis for being affected by a Coronary Artery Spasm. It is difficult for doctors to determinate the cause of Coronary Artery Spam, but in many cases it is related to: Be exposed to extreme cold, stress, and take drugs (as cocaine).

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** __Risk Factors for having a heart attack.__ **
 * 1) High Blood Pressure.
 * 2) High Blood Cholesterol.
 * 3) High triglycerides.
 * 4) Diabetes.
 * 5) Overweight (Obesity).
 * 6) Physical Inactivity.
 * 7) Heredity, Gender and Age.
 * 8) Other Risk Factors that can contribute with this issue are:
 * 9) Stress, Drug addiction, Cigarette addiction, Excessive consumption of Alcohol, Unhealthy diet.





** __What to do in emergency?__ ** Each person is a different case, but generally you only could have few minutes to intervene before it is too late. Follow carefully next list: 1-Call 911 and remain on the line. Any procedure you want to apply should be informed to the operator. 2-Remains calm. The person must be as much relaxed as possible. The anxiety and stress constricts the blood vessels because hormones produced during a panic episode increase heart risks. 3-Sit or lie down the person.

4- If the person is alone, while he/she is waiting for paramedics, he/she should inhale and exhale deeply and cough many times. This exercise helps the heart to work better. 5-If the person already has nitroglycerin prescription give it according written instructions in the container. It reduces heart´s work and improves blood flow through the coronary arteries. 6-If the person is not allergic and is not younger than 18 years give Aspirin. It helps to thin the blood and prevent the creation of blood clots. 7-If the person is not breathing give mouth-mouth resuscitation. 8-If the person doesn´t have pulse start CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

**__What is the next step?__** 1-In the Hospital doctors will determinate if the person is having or not a heart attack through different tests: a- **Electrocardiogram** (it is done with electrodes that are put on the chest and shows the heart activity of the patient). b- **Blood samples** in order to be sure if the heart attack occurred, to check for damages in the heart tissue and check for cholesterol levels. 2-If the patient had a heart attack, doctors will start to apply treatment in order to restore blood flow to the heart as soon as possible, to reduce the heart workload and to limit the damage increases. The treatment consists in: a- To give oxygen, in this way the body´s person will have easy access to it and the heart won’t have to work so hard. Drugs that will be given intravenously are: b- Anti-clot drugs for dissolving blood clots and preventing new blood clots.(This therapy is not appropriate for people that have intracranial hemorrhage, tumors, vessels malformation, and head injury during the last 3 months ago). This medicine should be given to the patient within few hours of the beginning of heart attack symptoms or as soon as possible. c- Drugs for reducing heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol level. There are some procedures according to the patient for opening the blocked arteries as Angioplasty and Stent Placement and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

**__What to do after the patient leaves the hospital?__** When the patient leaves the hospital after the heart attack (at least after a week), the treatment continues at home. 1-The patient has to take daily medicines prescribed by the doctors. 2-The patient has to start a Cardiac Rehabilitation. It is a program that let the person to recover of the heart attack and prevent a new one. The main objective of this program is to help to people with cardiac issues to have a better health and well-being. Different professionals participate in this program, such as doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, exercise experts, dietitians, psychologists or other mental health specialists. 3-The Cardiac Rehabilitation means a change in the patient´s lifestyle that includes changes in diet, being active doing exercise, having a healthy weight, and stopping of smoking. This program has two specifics parts:
 * Exercise training: This helps the patient how to do exercise safely and how to strength the muscles.
 * Counseling: This part helps the patient to understand what is happening to his heart and how he can reduce the risks for future heart ailments.

**__How to prevent a Heart Attack?__** 1-Decreace the intake saturated fat. This kind of fat comes mainly from red meat and high-fat dairy products. 2-Decrease or avoid trans fats that come from hydrogenated vegetable oils, hydrogenated margarines, fast foods and pre-made foods. 3-Eat vegetables, fruits and whole grains. 4-Instead of frying food, bake, steam and broil the food. 5-Do exercise at least 30 minutes per day. 6-If you are overweight, lose weight. 7-Not smoking. 8-Reduce or stop alcohol consumption.

[]VEGETABLES **__ Conclusion __** It is always is a good time for improving your heart health. It is in your hands to control many risk factors in order to reduce your risk of heart disease.

**__ Bibliography __** []HEART CANADA []NET DOCTOR []HOLISTIC ONLINE []PUBMED HEALTH []HEART LUNG BLOOD INST. []DANACOL []MAYOCLINIC []OPTIMAL HEART HEALTH []MEDICINENET []SYMPTOMS