Heart attack, also known as the medical term myocardial infarction, occurs when your heart muscles don’t get enough blood. If this blood flow doesn’t regulate like before and is left untreated, it will cause more damage to the cardiac muscles, giving fatal results. Nowadays, Coronary Artery Disease or CAD has become one of the major causes of a heart attack. According to the latest statistics, about 18.2 million adults aged 20 or above have CAD, and 2 out of 10 deaths occur due to CAD in adults less than age 65.
Here, we discuss the best heart attack treatments that should to be taken immediately for saving yourself or someone in the fatality.
Heart Attack Treatment Options: Medications
The medications that can be effective for heart attack treatment include:
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Aspirin
This medication is suggested by the emergency medical portal for immediate treatment as it reduces blood clotting. This helps to regulate the blood flow through the arteries.
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Thrombolytics
Also known as clot buster, this medicinal drug helps alleviate the blocked blood flow to your heart by dissolving the blood clot.
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Antiplatelet Agents
Several emergency medical personnel give drugs like platelet aggregation inhibitors to avoid any subsequent clots and prevent the existing blood clot from getting more significant.
You can also be treated with other medicines like heparin to make your blood thin and less sticky with lesser chances to form clots. When taken to the hospital, you might be treated with medication like beta-blockers, nitroglycerin, ACE inhibitors, or statins.
Heart Attack Treatment Options: Surgical And Other Procedures
Apart from the medications, you might undergo one of these surgical procedures for your heart attack treatment:
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Coronary Angioplasty And Stenting
Also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), this procedure involves a long, thin tube guided through your artery in the wrist or groin to the blocked artery of your heart. After cardiac catheterization, this process is done immediately at the hospital to find and cure the blockages.
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Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Some emergency cases where doctors have to undergo immediate bypass surgery during a heart attack. If possible, you can proceed with bypass surgery after recovering from your heart attack in a week or so. This procedure involves sewing arteries or veins to enable blood flow to the heart to bypass the narrow artery section.
Heart Attack Treatment Options: Lifestyle Changes And Home Remedies
Here are some steps to improve the health condition of your heart:
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Controlling Cholesterol Levels and Blood Pressure
If either of these two gets high, you need to consult a doctor to update your diet and medications.
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Avoiding Smoking
This is one of the most crucial things to do to prevent heart attacks. You can consult a doctor to take quitting tips.
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Getting Regular Checkups
There are no early symptoms of diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, which are significant causes of a heart attack. So, keep getting regular medical checkups.
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Doing Exercise
If you exercise regularly, it will help you avoid heart attacks and boost your heart function after a heart attack. Moderate aerobic activity and low-impactTest PSATest PSAbe a good solution.
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Weight Management
You will have to alleviate your excess weight as it strains your heart. Excess weight also triggers high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
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Eating Healthy Diet
You must follow a healthy balanced diet. Exclude food items that have saturated fats, cholesterol, too much salt, and trans fat. You must eat lean proteins like fish, beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
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Stress Management
Alleviate your stress from your daily activities. Reconsider workaholic habits and look for healthy ways like meditation to cope up with stress.
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Avoiding or Limiting Alcohol Consumption
If you plan to drink alcohol, do it in moderation. The maximum drink for healthy men is two, and one for healthy women.
Heart Attack Treatment Options: Cardiac Rehabilitation
Several hospitals offer recovery programs that might start when you’re in the hospital and continue for weeks or months after returning home. This cardiac rehabilitation is a program that focuses on medications, emotional issues, lifestyle changes, and gradual return to the usual daily-life activities.
It’s crucial to enable this program as people who participate and trend this cardiac rehab after a heart attack tend to live longer and become less prone to another heart attack or cardiac issues in the future. You can ask your doctor about this program for details.
Conclusion
The above guide will help you recover from a minor heart attack. It’s best to contact an ambulance and take them to the nearest hospital to avoid the risk of major cardiac arrest.
