Heart Attack
About one million people experience a heart attack each year. Though heart attacks claim 400,000 lives annually,the survival rate has improved greatly due to better treatment and increased awareness of their symptoms. For a Spanish-language version of the Guide, click here.
Expand All Guide SectionsWhat Is a Heart Attack?
A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in the coronary artery restricts blood flow and leads to ... read more »
Heart Attack Diagnosis and Treatment
Time matters when it comes to detecting and treating heart attacks. Luckily, modern medicine has yielded several treatments that improve a patient’s prognosis. It remains important to know a heart attack’s signs, however, so that you or a loved one will recognize one when it happens and have the best chance for successful treatment.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The most common symptom of a heart attack is chest pain. However, for some people the only symptoms experienced are upset stomachs or heartburn.
- Although the majority of men and women experience chest pain or discomfort during a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association, women are more likely than men to have shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Dulcinea's Picks
For warning signs and diagnosis …
The American Heart Association
overviews a heart attack’s warning signs, which include shortness of breath and discomfort in the chest, arms, back, stomach or jaw. Most heart attacks start with mild pain or discomfort, causing people to be unaware of what they’re experiencing, and delay treatment for far too long. At the site users can also look at charts explaining the noninvasive and invasive tests used to diagnose a heart attack. Cardiac catheterization, Thallium stress test, and chest X-ray are among the tests described on these pages.
For treatment …
Revolution Health
describes what kinds of treatments you would likely receive if you experienced a heart attack. Read about the initial response to the ongoing treatment possibilities after the heart attack has been stopped.
MedicineNet
has an in-depth description of the different ways a heart attack can be treated, such coronary-artery stents, nitrates, and clot-dissolving drugs.
The American Heart Association
presents an at-a-glance chart of heart attack treatments such as atherectomy, transmyocardial revascularization, and radiofrequency ablation. Find out what the procedure does, and why it would be chosen.
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
