Treatments for Heart attack
Treatment list for Heart attack: The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Heart attack includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.
- Call emergency immediately - 911 in the USA.
- Go to a hospital immediately - if you cannot call emergency.
- Emergency treatment
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Expired air resuscitation (EAR)
- Defibrillation
- Thrombolytic agents (Clot-busting drugs)
- Anticoagulants
- Artery-opening treatments
- Oxygen
- Defibrillators
- Direct cardiac massage
- See also treatment of cardiac arrest
- Hospitalization
- Coronary angioplasty (balloon angioplasty)
- Coronary artery bypass
- Immediate self-help for heart attacks
- Call for emergency medical help - usually 911 in the USA
- Nitroglycerin pills - it may be possible to take your prescribed nitroglycerin pills for heart attack symptoms, according to your doctor’s orders. Call emergency immediately if the symptoms are occurring for the first time, severe, or unusual in any way. If symptoms stop quickly (less than 15 minutes), call your doctor for advice anyway. If symptoms continue, call emergency.
- Aspirin - Taking aspirin may be helpful. Can be taken in addition to nitroglycerin pills. Can also be taken even if you are not on nitroglycerin pills. Call emergency immediately if the symptoms are occurring for the first time, severe, or unusual in any way. If symptoms stop quickly (less than 15 minutes), call your doctor anyway; if not, call emergency.
Treatment of Heart attack: medical news summaries: The following medical news items are relevant to treatment of Heart attack:
- Aspirin and Bextra combination may increase heart risk
- Australian medical experts want Celebrex to remain on the market
- Bextra picks up Vioxx slack but it carries it’s own life-threatening risks
- Breast cancer drug Femara superior to Tamoxifen
- Celebrex may help fight breast cancer
- Celecoxib no longer allowed to be used as a cancer treatment
- Concerns over Celebrex use mounting
- COX-2 inhibitors and heart attack risk
- COX-2 inhibitors need further analysis to determine the range of side effects
- Diabetics may benefit from Vitamin E supplements
- Diet drug manufacturer seeks approval for multimillion-dollar national settlement over it’s banned diet drug
- Diet supplements need to be governed
- Diuretics are cheap and the benefits outweigh the risks
- Doubts over the real cause of depression
- Health Canada warns consumers about various COX-2 inhibitor NSAIDs
- Heart disease patients may benefit from blood pressure medication
- How much is really known about the safety of statins
- Hypertension needs rapid attention
- Laser therapy takes over arthritis drugs
- Lawsuits begin soon after Vioxx taken off market
- Long term medications need to be carefully assessed to determine health benefits
- LVH may increase the risk of adverse events in hypertensive patients
- Man active lifestyle destroyed after suffering a heart attack allegedly because of Vioxx use
- Merck faces nearly 500 lawsuits over Vioxx
- More women using natural hormones for menopause therapy
- New results on Bextra implicates whole cox-2 inhibitor class of drugs
- Obesity surgery carries risks
- Osteoporosis rates expected to increase with reduced useage of HRT
- Performance of blood pressure drug being questioned
- Pfizer releases Bextra risks information
- Pollution effects minimized by blood-pressure drugs
- Recent studies involving contraceptive pill risks may be flawed
- Statins may benefit people at low risk of heart disease
- Study on effects of ephedrine supports FDA’s recommendation to ban dietary supplements containing the product
- Study shows 88-140,000 people may have suffered from cardiovascular problems caused by Vioxx
- Study shows oral contraceptives taken before menopause may reduce risk of cancer and heart disease
- Suspension of Aleve comes as a surprise
- Vioxx lawsuits to be filed in Britain
- Vioxx makers face another lawsuit
- Vioxx may have contributed to 27,785 heart attacks and deaths
- Woman allegedly dies of potassium overdose in hospital
Treatments of Heart attack discussion: Getting to the hospital fast allows use of thrombolytic1
Clot-busting drugs and other artery-opening treatments work best when given within the first hour after a heart attack starts. The first hour also is the most risky time during a heart attack–it’s when your heart might stop suddenly. Responding fast to your symptoms really increases your chance of surviving.2
Given that these new therapies are available, it’s very sad to know that so many people cannot receive these treatments because they delay too long before seeking care. The greatest benefits of these therapies are gained when patients come in early (preferably within the first hour of the start of their symptoms).2
Emergency medical personnel—also called EMS, for emergency medical services—bring medical care to you. For example, they bring oxygen and medications. And they can actually restart someone’s heart if it stops after they arrive. Your wife/husband/friend/coworker can’t do that, or help you at all if they are driving. In the ambulance, there are enough people to give you the help you need and get you to the hospital right away.2
I carry nitroglycerin pills all the time for my heart condition. If I have heart attack symptoms, shouldn’t I try them first?
Yes, if your doctor has prescribed nitroglycerin pills, you should follow your doctor’s orders. If you are not sure about how to take your nitroglycerin when you get chest pain, check with your doctor.2
You should not delay calling 9-1-1 to take an aspirin. Studies have shown that people sometimes delay seeking help if they take an aspirin (or other medicine). Emergency department personnel will give people experiencing a heart attack an aspirin as soon as they arrive. So, the best thing to do is to call 9-1-1 immediately and let the professionals give the aspirin.2
Call or have someone else call 911. Don't delay. New medical treatments can stop heart attacks in its track. Don't wait because you think it will be embarrassing if it turns out not to be a heart attack! Treatments are most effective if given within one hour of when the attack begins. However, only 1 in 5 patients get to the hospital emergency department within one hour of when their heart attack symptoms begin. 3
The longer you wait to get medical treatment, the greater the likelihood that you will have severe, permanent damage to your heart or even die. The earlier the treatment, the more likely it is that damage to your heart will be kept to a minimum. 3
Once it is clear that a person is having a heart attack, immediate treatment usually includes drugs to help open the blocked artery, get blood flowing well to the heart muscle, and keep the blood from clotting again. Other treatment depends on the severity of the condition and the amount of damage the heart may have sustained, but may involve drugs, surgery, and other procedures. Cardiac rehabilitation programs are offered in most communities to help people recover from a heart attack and reduce the chances of having another attack. 3
Exercise is good for your heart muscle and overall health. It can help
you lose weight, keep your cholesterol and blood pressure under control,
reduce stress, and lift your mood. If you participate in a cardiac
rehabilitation program, you will learn how to exercise safely and
regularly to strengthen your heart and body. When exercising, you will
need to watch out for signs of problems such as chest pain, shortness of
breath, feeling dizzy or weak, irregular heartbeats, or cold sweats. If
you develop these symptoms, stop exercising and call 911 for help right
away. 3
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Facts About Heart Disease and Women: NHLBI
2. excerpt from Frequently Asked Questions About Heart Attack: NHLBI
3. excerpt from Heart Attack: NWHIC
Last revision:
April 9, 2003
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