What is a heart attack anyway?

• A heart attack results when a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary artery supplying blood to the heart muscle.
• A heart attack causes death of part of the heart muscle.
• The site of blood clot formation during a heart attack is usually a cholesterol plaque on the inner wall of a coronary artery.
• A heart attack can cause chest pain, heart failure, and electrical instability of the heart.
• Electrical instability of the heart can cause life threatening abnormal heart rhythm.

Treatment of a heart attack may include:

• Prompt administration of drugs to dissolve and prevent blood clots
• Performance of angioplasty or intracoronary stenting to open an obstructed artery
• Medications that open (dilate) blood vessels.
• Early reopening of a blocked coronary artery reduces the amount of heart muscle damage, lessens the size of the heart attack, and improves prognosis.
• Patients suffering a heart attack are hospitalized for several days to detect heart rhythm disturbance, and observe for shortness of breath, and chest pain.