A heart attack (myocardial infarction or MI) is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. Show
A heart attack is a medical emergency. Call 999 and ask for an ambulance if you suspect a heart attack. A lack of blood to the heart may seriously damage the heart muscle and can be life threatening. Symptoms of a heart attackSymptoms of a heart attack can include:
The chest pain is often severe, but some people may only experience minor pain, similar to indigestion. While the most common symptom in both men and women is chest pain, women are more likely to have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling or being sick and back or jaw pain. Call 999 immediately if you think someone might be having a heart attack. The faster you act, the better their chances. Treating heart attacksWhile waiting for an ambulance, it may help to chew and then swallow a tablet of aspirin (ideally 300mg), as long as the person having a heart attack is not allergic to aspirin. Aspirin helps to thin the blood and improves blood flow to the heart. In hospital, treatment for a heart attack depends on how serious it is. The 2 main treatments are:
Causes of a heart attackCoronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of heart attacks. CHD is a condition in which the major blood vessels that supply the heart get clogged with deposits of cholesterol, known as plaques. Before a heart attack, 1 of the plaques bursts (ruptures), causing a blood clot to develop at the site of the rupture. The clot may block the supply of blood to the heart, triggering a heart attack. Recovering from a heart attackThe time it takes to recover from a heart attack will depend on the amount of damage to your heart muscle. Most people can return to work after having a heart attack. Some people are well enough to return to work after 2 weeks. Other people may take several months to recover. How quickly you can go back to work depends on your health, the state of your heart and the type of work you do. The recovery process aims to:
Find out more about recovering from a heart attack Complications of a heart attackComplications of a heart attack can be serious and possibly life threatening. These include:
These complications can happen quickly after a heart attack and are a leading cause of death. Many people die suddenly from a complication of a heart attack before reaching hospital or within the 1st month after a heart attack. The outlook often depends on:
Find out more about complications of a heart attack Preventing a heart attackThere are 5 main steps you can take to reduce your risk of having a heart attack (or having another heart attack):
Video: heart attackThis video explores the symptoms, surgical treatments and importance of reducing risk factors for a heart attack. At what heart rate heart attack comes?A person's heart rate may increase or stay the same during a heart attack. The heart rate at the time of treatment can sometimes predict recovery success. According to one 2018 study across 58 hospitals, a heart rate above 80 beats per minute had the highest risk of mortality following a heart attack.
Can heart rate indicate heart attack?A rapid heart rate is one of many possible symptoms of a heart attack. However, it is usually not the only sign of trouble if your heart is truly in distress. The most common symptoms of a heart attack include: chest pain that may feel like a sharp pain, tightness, or pressure on the chest.
What is considered a dangerously high heart rate?You may want to start with a visit to your health care provider if your heart rate is consistently above 100 beats per minute or below 60 beats per minute (and you're not an athlete), or if you're also experiencing shortness of breath, fainting spells, lightheadedness or feeling fluttering or palpitations in your chest ...
What is the highest heart rate before heart attack?The heart rate may speed up to 200 beats per minute or even faster. A fast heart rate can make you feel lightheaded and short of breath. Or you might feel fluttering or pounding in the chest.
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