While some heart problems are known to provide small murmurs or alterations in the heart muscle, others move to different levels of severity. One known problem that is known to be life threatening if not treated in a timely manner comes from a heart attack. This particular issue arises when there is a block to the heart from the arteries that are supposed to supply blood and oxygen. The result is the inability for the heart to pump at a regular pace, causing for alterations in the heart.
How a Heart Attack Occurs
The complications with the heart from a heart attack begins with the inability for the arteries to supply blood and oxygen to the heart, but continues with the heart's response from this. If not enough blood moves to the heart in a given amount of time, then a blockage continues from the inability for the heart to pump regularly. This causes the heart muscle to stop pumping and functioning, and over a short period of time becomes substituted with scar tissue from the death of the cells in that area. This may happen because of a partial or complete block of blood from the arteries or a blood clot that stops blood from moving to the heart.
Typically, specific lifestyle habits relate directly to heart attacks. Being overweight or obese, having high blood pressure, high cholesterol or not exercising can lead to this dysfunction. Those who smoke or use drugs may also have a heart attack. It is also known that heart attacks may occur if you are over a certain age, have had a surgery or are battling with a disease. You will notice if you are about to have a heart attack if your chest tightens, you become short of breath or if you feel discomfort in your body.
Heart Attack Treatment
If you feel like you are having a heart attack, you will want to receive help as quickly as possible so the attack doesn't become complex and cause death. Going into a hospital or emergency room is the first step to this. From this, doctors work to unclog the area that is not providing blood to the heart. This is followed by regulating the blood pressure needed and by checking the pulse of an individual. Often times, medications are used to do this, all which help to regulate blood pressure and to stop the heart from clotting.
After you have had a heart attack, other pre-cautions need to be taken to ensure that a heart attack does not reoccur. Most of the time, it is not the heart attack that moves into complications, but the fragility that the heart has after a heart attack, which can lead to a second heart attack. After this occurrence, doctors will recommend a cardiac rehabilitation which is used to make the heart healthier through exercise, as well as through educational materials allows an individual to prevent a second heart attack.
A set of factors to consider to prevent a heart attack, or a second heart attack, is to alter lifestyle habits you may have. Exercising, lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and taking care of any diabetic problems can help your heart to stay healthy and can stop further attacks. Taking medications to help with blood regulation may also be necessary, but is dependent on what the individuals situation is from the heart attack. Following these lifestyle needs allow an individual to move back to a healthy state and to continue to keep their heart pumping at a regular pace. |
