Having a heart attack can be a very scary situation. It can be the consequence of years of poor heart care or because you have a family history of heart attack. Having a heart attack can either come on very suddenly or you may have symptoms and warning signs that can alert you that your heart is having problems. Getting treatment will begin right after a heart attack. It can occur as early as in the ambulance en route to the hospital. It is important to have your medical history and information available to medical responders, especially if you have a history of heart problems. This will allow them to know how to treat you as best as possible after a heart attack. There are many treatments that will happen both at the hospital and when you get home. Understanding the different treatments will help ensure that you get the correct treatment and make sure that you are not putting yourself at risk for another heart attack.
When you are at the hospital or in an ambulance going to the hospital, you will be given medications to help with what has happened to your heart. There are many goals that come along with these medications. The main goal is to break up any blood clots that have occurred and to prevent any other blood clots. Another goal is to prevent platelets from gathering and sticking to the plaque. The drugs are also used to prevent any more ischemia, which is an inadequate amount of blood flow to your heart. These drugs should be administered as soon as possible. Ideally, they should be given within two hours from the start of the heart attack. This will prevent further heart damage.
There are several different drugs that may be used. One of the most common drugs that is used is Aspirin. This will prevent blood clotting that can worse the heart attack. Other drugs that are used to prevent blood clotting are Effient, Plavix or Brillinta. You may also be given drugs that will break up blood clots in the heart’s arteries. These drugs are also often referred to as clot busters. Another medication that may be used for heart attack treatment is known as a beta blocker. These drugs are used to relax the heart muscle, slow the heartbeat and decrease blood pressure. This will make the job your heart has easier. Your heart went through a traumatic event and making its job easier will help it recover better. There are a number of other medications that will be used to thin your blood which will make it less likely to form clots. You can also have drugs that are good for lowering blood pressure. This will reduce stress on the heart.
There are different surgeries that can occur after a heart attack if necessary, as well as different procedures to ensure the health of your heart. One thing that may happen is that you will get an evaluation of your heart, arteries, and the amount of damage that happened to your heart. You may get a procedure that opens up the narrowed or blocked arteries. In some severe cases, bypass surgery may be needed to restore the heart muscle’s supply of blood.
There are also things you can do at home in order to treat your body after a heart attack. One thing to do is to maintain a healthy weight. Exercise can help keep your cholesterol level down and help with high blood pressure and diabetes. All of those things can cause a heart attack, so exercising and keeping your weight down will help keep your heart healthy after a heart attack. You should also control your stress level. You should take stressful things out of your day. You should manage your stress in ways like walking or taking a break from the stressful activity so you do not raise your blood pressure or put stress on your heart.
Getting the correct treatment for a heart attack will help your heart get back to a healthy state faster. Repairing the damage to your heart is essential to making sure that your heart stays healthy for a long time. Make sure that you have your medical information on hand if you have a history of heart problems so the medical responders can give you the correct treatment.