In a Heart Blockage or Heart Attack, Time is of the Essence

When dealing with heart blockage, few diseases demand such an urgent action as a heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction. More than 50 percent of deaths caused by heart attacks take place before the patient gets to the hospital and half of those deaths occur during the first hour from the time symptoms appear. After arrival to the medical facility, deaths are related to the delays in treatment.

A heart attack or myocardial infarction means that part of the heart muscle suddenly loses its blood supply. The interruption of the blood flow happens all of the sudden due to a blockage in one of the coronary arteries, the arteries that wrap the heart. Usually the cause is a thrombus or a blood clot that clogs the artery. If the artery is unclogged during the first hour, the cardiac muscle will recover almost entirely. The longer it takes to unblock the artery, the more the heart will be damaged.

Fatal arrhythmias
From the very first moments of a heart attack, very often we see in the heart a major disorganization of the "electrical network", the one in charge of sending and distributing the electrical impulses to make the heart beat in an orderly and effective manner. These electrical alterations at times cause fatal arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation or when the heart stops beating.

Ventricular fibrillation is a condition in which the heart's electrical activity becomes disordered. When this happens, the heart's lower (pumping) chambers contract in a rapid, unsynchronized way and they pump little or no blood. The irregularity can be continuous, or it can come and go. Urgent defibrillation is of the utmost importance since it can make the difference between death and life.

What are the symptoms of a myocardial infarction?
Severe chest pain is the usual main symptom. The pain may also travel up into your jaw, and down your left arm, or down both arms. You may also sweat, feel sick, and feel faint. The pain may be similar to angina, but it is usually more severe and lasts longer. Angina usually goes off after a few minutes; pain in a heart attack usually lasts more than 15 minutes - sometimes several hours.

What should I do if I suspect I am having a myocardial infarction?
Call for an ambulance immediately because time is of the essence; being under medical care, whether in an ambulance or at the hospital, highly increases your chances of survival from a malignant arrhythmia. This type of arrhythmia can occur within the first two hours from the heart attack.

Unblocking the artery, either by medication or through a catheter, lessens the impact of the heart attack. In general, mild heart attacks have few complications and few mortality rates. However, strong heart attacks involve more complications, less quality life, and more fatal risks. That’s why, taking immediate action translates into heart muscle and lives saved. Unblocking the heart artery during the first two hours instead of within the first four hours from the beginning of the heart attack symptoms reduces by half hospital deaths.

Do not ignore the symptoms
Ignoring the symptoms, denying what their meaning is, or attributing them to less serious diseases such as indigestion, arthritis, stress, etc, prompt people to try medication o procedures to calm down the discomfort and to postpone requesting medical assistance. Asking for help to the primary care physician will delay vital medical assistance.

The crucial importance of time
The action strategy during the first hours of a heart attack should be to reduce the time the patient is left without the proper medical assistance that will unblock the clogged artery.

In a heart blockage, the responsibility of shortening the interval during which the patient is not receiving medical assistance to lessen the consequences of a heart attack not only falls on the medical facility and its staff but also on the patient who should request medical assistance within the first 10 minutes from the time the symptoms appear. Because in a heart attack, time is of the essence.

Have a Healthy Day!

Emilia Klapp, BS, RD.

About the Author
Emilia Klapp has a Bachelor Degree in Nutrition Science and is certified as a Registered Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association. She is also the author of Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet. For more information on heart blockage, heart disease, and to get a FREE copy of the Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Foods, visit http://www.EmiliaKlapp.com.