Know the heart attack symptoms and treatments

Knowing when you need to see a doctor to identify a heart attack can be a crucial first step in managing the diseases early. Symptoms and treatments differ from patient to patient and its best to know the pros and cons of each before a decision is made. It is advisable to ask as many questions to your doctors and ensure you are clear about your heart treatment and health.
Sharing their insights here are Dr. Rupesh Singh, Specialist Cardiologist and Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Helmy Consultant Cardiac Surgery from Zulekha Hospital Sharjah.

When must I see a doctor?

Early detection and treatment is the key to maintain your health. It is advisable to see the doctor, if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, and diabetes mellitus or if you have a family history of heart disease. Seeing a physician is recommended if you have symptoms of exercise intolerance, shortness of breath, chest pain or chest discomfort and an irregular pulse. A routine checkup of blood pressure and cholesterol level above the age of 20 should be done.

Once I have an open heart surgery, are my heart muscles weaker and I am not normal again?

Heart surgery is performed to resume the normal blood supply to the heart muscle in case of ischemic heart disease with coronary stenosis (narrowing). So the heart muscle is in better condition and the patient's exercise tolerance is markedly improved. In a valvular heart disease either repair or replacement of the affected valves protects the heart from further dilatation and from reduction of heart function. Surgery for Aortic dissection is aLife saving surgery and should be performed within hours of diagnosing the condition.

Can an open heart surgery be done for a second time?

In rare conditions a second cardiac surgery may be required, which depends on the cause and the reason of the first surgery. However an open heart surgery may be performed for more than one time with special precautions with an experienced surgical team.

What are the chances of my disease recurring?

The chance of the recurrence of the disease depends on the case. For example in case of congenital heart disease it does not recur once totally corrected and in rheumatic heart disease the patient should continue on the treatment with rheumatic heart prophylaxis by receiving penicillin. In coronary heart diseases, life style modification is mandatory to reduce the risk of disease recurrence. Control of blood sugar and lowering the cholesterol level also reduces the BMI. Regular physical activity including a 30 minute daily walk for 6 days a week will be helpful.

Can gastric pain lead to a heart attack? What happens during a heart attack to a patient?

Gastric pain does not lead to heart attack per say but heart attack can mimic as gastric pain. One of leading cause of undiagnosed heart attack is that it was considered as gastric pain in initial evaluation and once the patient again visits the cardiologist, on proper investigation it is found to be a heart attack. Unfortunately in all this the golden time is lost. We always suggest if someone has risk factors of a heart disease, family history, symptoms such as unprovoked gastric pain, they must consult their threating doctor immediately.

What types of treatments are available to treat heart problems?

This depends upon a condition and type of heart disease one has. Treatment option includes simple medication for hypertensions (HTN), Angina and mild heart failure or urgent revascularization (angioplasty) for an acute heart attack. Other options are CABG (bypass surgery) for multiple blockages, valve replacement surgery for valvular heart diseases or devices therapy (pacemaker/ICD/CRTD) for rhythm disorders.

What will my life be like once I recover from the heart treatment?

Except few exceptional cases a patient's usual life is more or less normal. They are usually fit enough to do their job, normal day to day activities and recreational activities. Infact sometimes we observe the patients become more fit simply because of their self-care with weight loss, stopping smoking and regular exercise.

How long is the recovery period? Who all will be involved at the hospital to help me in various stages?

Again this depends upon the cardiac procedure you have undergone. In case of angiography usually the next day patients can resume their activity. Post PTCA (angioplasty) third to fourth day they can resume their activity. For device therapy usually we advise a 10 days resting period. In case of an open heart surgery it requires three to four weeks for full recovery. During the recovery phase any hospital has a full cardiac rehabilitation department which helps in every stage.

Published: Sun 8 Mar 2020, 12:41 PM

Updated: Sun 8 Mar 2020, 7:06 PM