Heart Failure: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Myocardial Infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is a disorder in which there is a serious blockage of blood flow to the heart and its muscles.  The complete blockage of a coronary artery caused by a rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque is usually the underlying mechanism of an MI. So you can understand that it's a really critical problem and the person suffering from it, needs to be diagnosed immediately.

Symptoms: 

Here are some symptoms which will help to you to understand whether a person is suffering from it or not:

• The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck, or jaw. Often it occurs in the center or left side of the chest and lasts for more than a few minutes. The discomfort may occasionally feel like heartburn.
• Unexplained shortage of breath or trouble in breathing is an important symptom.
• Nausea or vomiting may follow after the patient feels lightheaded.
• Women can face abdominal pain or discomfort in different parts of their body.Women more often have atypical symptoms than men.
• Among those over 75 years old, about 5% have had an MI with little or no history of symptoms.
• An MI may cause heart failure, an irregular heartbeat, cardiogenic shock, or cardiac arrest.
• If you identify any of these symptoms, you must immediately call the medical emergency team and must not neglect the symptoms because these symptoms are really dangerous and can indicate a serious health issue.

Immediate response for myocardial infarction: 

• After you have identified any of the symptoms described above that person may be suffering from Myocardial Infarction, the first thing which you must do is call the emergency response team or ambulance. Here are some tips for such a situation:
• The most important thing you must do is to stay calm and stay with the person all the time. Make the patient lie down and keep interacting with him or her.
•  If the person affected is not allergic to aspirin, then make him or her chew a baby aspirin. Do not let the person swallow it without chewing because it becomes more effective in that case.
• If the person stops breathing then you must perform the CPR immediately or someone around you who is qualified to do so. If you are alone then the medical response team can help you perform it by guiding you via phone.
• The patient should be immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for immediate medical attention.
• ECG should be done immediately to diagnose the condition.

Treatment: 

A myocardial infarction requires immediate medical attention. Treatment aims to preserve as much heart muscle as possible and to prevent further complications. Treatment in general aims to unblock blood vessels, reduce blot clot enlargement, reduce ischemia. The main treatment for myocardial infarctions with ECG evidence of ST elevation (STEMI) inc.

Sudden cardiac arrest or SCA as it is commonly called is one of the major causes of death in India. As per a study conducted by WHO, approximately 4280 out of every one lakh people die every year from SCA in India.

What exactly is a sudden cardiac arrest?
A sudden loss of heart function, consciousness, and breath which leads to obstruction of blood flow to the rest of the body is known as sudden cardiac arrest. If not treated immediately, this could lead to sudden cardiac death.

Read on to know some shocking facts about sudden cardiac arrest:

1. About 90% of people who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest do not survive and die before they reach a hospital or medical care.
2. SCA takes more lives than AIDS, breast cancer, lung cancer, or stroke.
3. Most cases of SCA are caused by congestive heart failure. This is due to cardiovascular disease, where there is an accumulation of fat deposits on the walls of the blood vessels. This leads to narrowing of the vessel thickness, and reduced blood supply to the various parts of the body. When the blood supply is significantly reduced, there is a heart attack. A similar blood supply cut off to the brain would lead to stroke.
4. SCA is often seen in patients who have had a prior heart attack. There are, however, patients who seem quite healthy and suffer a SCA. These people may never be diagnosed of their underlying heart disease and may not know that they have a serious problem.
5. Most cases of SCA can be managed by giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the right time. This helps keep oxygen supply intact until proper medical help arrives. It is quite easy for people to get trained on CPR, which can help save the life of a stranger or a family member. Given by someone who is near the individual who is having the attack, this is also known as bystander CPR.
6. It has been proven that bystander CPR improves the rate of survival by almost 50%. It also reduces neurologic complications when done immediately.
7. Silent cardiac arrests often occur when there is no visible exertion.
8. SCA are often seen in patients who have had myocardial ischemia (cut off of blood supply to the heart) and there is often no associated chest pain in these cases. The only symptom could be breathlessness, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, and loss of consciousness.
9. Most heart attacks occur at home, and have a high chance of being ignored. There is a high chance of recurrence, and statistics indicate that less than 2% people survive if they suffer a repeat attack within a month.
10. SCA is more often seen in the elderly, diabetic, and women population.
     

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic and progressive condition that reduces the pumping efficiency of the heart. There will be a buildup of fluid around the heart over a period of time. This fluid accumulation then will be seen in the abdomen, legs, lungs, and liver. This could be a life-threatening situation that requires immediate attention. Read to know to more about stages, causes, symptoms, and treatment of this condition.

Stages

There are 4 stages of heart failure, which is based on history and presenting.

• Stage A: These people have a strong family history of hypertension, diabetes, or heart problems and have a fat-rich diet and history of alcohol or drug abuse, smoking.
• Stage B: These people have the disease but have no symptoms. They may have hypertension, which needs to be controlled.
• Stage C: They have definite cardiac symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath even with walking or bending over. These patients need to monitor lifestyle including diet, exercise, and alcohol usage.
• Stage D: Even after treating CHF, these patients continue to have symptoms and require lifestyle changes, medications, and even surgical intervention in some.

Symptoms 

In its initial stages, CHF will not present with any symptoms. Gradually, there will be symptoms which can be constant or intermittent.

• General fatigue and weakness: Reduced blood supply to the vital organs reduces overall energy levels in the patient.
• Faster heart beats: Since the efficiency has reduced, the heart muscles work harder to meet the body demands, causing faster heart rate.
• Shortness of breath: Due to congestion of the lungs, their efficiency is reduced and so the person gets short of breath much easily than before. There is also difficulty breathing, especially when lying flat or at rest. There could be associated dry cough and wheezing, especially at night.
• Fluid retention: The abdomen, ankles, and legs could be swollen, also resulting in weight gain, nausea, increased nocturnal urination. The internal examination would reveal fluid in the liver and other vital organs too.

Treatment: CHF requires a combination of lifestyle changes, medications, and in some cases surgical intervention.

• Changes like quitting smoking, dietary modifications, exercise based on the severity of CHF would be essential.
• Medications like beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors to improve blood pressure, cholesterol-controlling drugs, and diuretics to manage fluid retention would be advised.
• Angioplasty or value repair surgeries may be required if more severe abnormalities are detected.

Though it cannot be cured, the onset can be delayed and the severity of symptoms reduced with lifestyle changes. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

The news of Sridevi's sudden and unexpected demise was a shock for the entire nation and left a number of questions in the minds of the people. However, there are multiple reasons which are under speculation and can be attributed to her death - cardiac arrest, heart attack and death due to accidental drowning. Usually, cardiac arrest and heart attack are two things which most people use interchangeably, however, there is a big difference between the two. 

Difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack: 
A cardiac arrest is far deadlier considering that it comes without a warning or any prior indication of a problem. Here, the heart just stops beating and immediate first-aid can make a lot of difference between life and death. Electrical shock is the best way to revive a patient and should be given within a few minutes of such an arrest. 

On the other hand, a person suffers a heart attack when there is a blockage in the artery which prevents the smooth flow of oxygen-rich blood from reaching the heart. It is important to note that unlike a cardiac arrest the signs of heart attack start slow and persists for long.  

A heart attack is one of the common causes of cardiac arrest, but not always it is the case. A cardiac arrest happens most commonly when the heart is receiving more than 300 impulses per minute or due to absent electrical impulses. In the first instance an electrical shock is a lifesaving technique and in the second, the patient can be treated with certain medications and a temporary pacemaker. 

Symptoms of cardiac arrest:
The symptoms of cardiac arrest are immediate and extreme.

• A fainting spell or a sudden collapse
• Loss of consciousness
• No pulse or breathing 

Symptoms of a heart attack 

• Discomfort along with chest pain 
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea with vomiting
• Sweating
• Headache and jawpain

Prevention of a cardiac arrest:
What makes this a deadly condition is that you cannot tell your risks of having one and therefore the next best thing to do is to lower your risks. 
The best way to do that is to:

• Follow a diet that is balanced and nutritious
• Alcohol should be consumed in moderation 
• Quit smoking
• Stay physically active

How can you prevent a heart attack?

• Keep yourself fit and exercise regularly
• Keep your cholesterol level under check 
• Limit your alcohol intake 
• If you are obese, control your weight
• Intake a heart-friendly diet.

Now that the distinction is clear between the two, it is recommended that everyone should get themselves screened for potential heart problems on a regular basis. In case of a query or concern consult an expert and get your answers. 

Smoking can affect your health in all respects, and it is no different when it comes to your heart. Smokers are almost twice as likely to have heart problems compared to individuals who do not smoke.

How does smoking cast an impact on your cardiac health?
Smoking increases the risk of developing various kinds of cardiovascular issues such as stroke and coronary heart disease. It damages the lining of the arteries which, in turn, paves the way for building up of fatty substances called atheroma which narrows down the artery. This may lead to heart attack, stroke, and angina.

Tobacco contains carbon monoxide which reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood. This indicates that the heart has to work harder for supplying the required amount of oxygen. Cigarettes also contain nicotine which stimulates the production of adrenaline. This instigates the heart to beat at a faster pace and raises the blood pressure.

The chemicals present in the smoke of tobacco can harm your blood cells and retard the normal functioning of the heart. When not inhibited, it can lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is an ailment in which a waxy material, termed as plaque builds up in the arteries and limits the flow of blood to different parts of the body.

When plaque builds up for a long span of time, it causes coronary heart disease, and you are likely to experience symptoms such as heart failure, chest pain, heart attack, arrhythmia and heart failure and even death.

Smoking is a major risk factor for another fatal ailment called the peripheral artery disease or PAD. PAD is a clinical condition where the accumulation of plaque in the arteries inhibits carriage of oxygen-rich blood to the head, different organs, and limbs.

With regular smoking, the blood is more susceptible to clotting which surges the risk of having a stroke or heart attack.

Is there any effect of second-hand smoking?
Second-hand smoking, also referred to as passive smoking means inhaling the smoke ejected while smoking. When a person is regularly exposed to smoke, he or she is likely to have low levels of good cholesterol, damaged heart tissues, and high blood pressure. Various researchers are of the opinion that second-hand smoke of tobacco is a viable cause of heart ailments in nonsmokers. This means, if you are a smoker, you are definite to harm the members of your surroundings.

Why should you quit smoking?
One of the best ways to decrease the risk of having cardiac ailments is to stop smoking. In case you have never smoked, you should never think of starting it for the same reason. You should also try to avoid second-hand smoke by avoiding going to a smoking zone. It would be a great idea to avoid the company of smokers for the periods when they are smoking.
Stay away from smoking for your heart health. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!