| Over one million Americans suffer heart attack every | | | | oxygen-carrying blood. The more prolonged the |
| year and from this number comes some 460,000 | | | | condition remains, the greater number of cells perishes. |
| annual deaths. And 50% of these deaths dies an hour | | | | To limit the damages caused by the heart attack, one |
| after the start of the symptoms of heart attack and | | | | method employed is the re-opening of the blocked |
| were not able to make it to the hospital. These are | | | | arteries for blood flow restoration. This lessens the |
| evidences enough that proves that coronary heart | | | | frequency of occurrence of heart attack. One popular |
| disease is the leading cause of deaths among | | | | heart attack treatment is the clot-busting therapy or |
| Americans. | | | | the thrombolytic therapy. Two of the more often used |
| The heart is continuously pumping nutrient-rich blood | | | | procedures are the coronary artery bypass surgery |
| and oxygen to be supplied to the blood mainstream. | | | | and angioplasty. To increase the effectivity of these |
| Blood in return is delivered to the heart through the | | | | treatments, procedures must be done an hour or less |
| coronary arteries. In heart disease, the walls of the | | | | after the heart attack. |
| arteries are covered with fatty substances that | | | | Different from what is ordinarily portrayed in many |
| obstruct the normal flow of blood. These fatty | | | | movie scenes, heart attack is not a sudden chest pain |
| substances or plaques may lead to the accumulation | | | | wherein the patient clutches on his chest and |
| of blood components that stick on the wall linings of | | | | accordingly. Heart attack is a gradual process where |
| the arteries. This is a gradual process and may start at | | | | one may feel mild irritation in the chest cavity at first |
| a very early age. | | | | until eventually, chest pains become more severe. |
| Plaques break up. And with this comes clotting of the | | | | Chest discomforts vary from one case to another. |
| blood on the linings to seal the break. This will cause | | | | Patients who have experience heart attacks recently |
| further blockage of the arteries. This cycle of building | | | | may not be able to identify their personal symptoms, |
| up of fatty substances, the rapture of the plaque and | | | | as each may be as different as the previous heart |
| the clotting of the blood will cause the arteries to | | | | attack. Chest discomforts are normally characterized |
| narrow which then reduces the blood flow. | | | | with uncomfortable squeezing, pressure and pain in the |
| Ischemia or the condition of too little blood flow | | | | area nearest to the heart. Shortness of breath is also |
| reaching the heart can cause chest pains or angina. | | | | one symptom of heart attack along with nausea and |
| Depending on the intensity, chest pains may cause | | | | cold sweat in some cases. |
| terrible heart pains and may make normal living rather | | | | As mentioned at the beginning paragraph of this article, |
| difficult for the coronary heart disease patient. | | | | not all heart attack patients die due to the attack. If |
| However, there is silent ischema, which has the same | | | | you happen to experience the symptoms associated |
| symptoms differing only on the absence of pain. | | | | with heart attack and suspecting yourself to be having |
| Heart attack occurs when blood supply to the heart is | | | | clogged arteries, you can help save your own life by |
| suddenly cut off due to the blockage caused by the | | | | acting fastly against the disease. Seek medical care at |
| clotting of the blood. The cells present in the heart | | | | once and inquire if what precautionary measures you |
| muscles would die once they lack the necessary | | | | may undergo. |