Myocardial ischemia: Know the risk factors to it keep it at bay

Myocardial ischemia is a heart condition in which your blood flow to the heart is reduced preventing the muscles in the heart to receive required oxygen. This happens either due to complete or partial blockage of your heart arteries. This leads to the reduced ability of your heart muscles to pump blood. If not treated on time, myocardial ischemia can cause heart attack or severe abnormal heart rhythm. If you have this condition, you may experience symptoms like neck or jaw pain, a fast heartbeat, sweating, fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, vomiting etc. As far as its diagnosis is concerned, doctors perform ECG, stress test, echocardiogram, stress echocardiogram, coronary angiography, or cardiac CT scan. Treatment of myocardial ischemia depends on the severity of the condition. The doctors basically try to improve the blood flow to the heart muscles. A patient with this condition may be prescribed aspirin, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers etc. If the condition is severe, doctor may perform angioplasty and stenting, coronary artery bypass surgery, or enhanced external counterpulsation. To keep myocardial ischemia at bay, you need to know its risk factors first. Read on to know about them.

Smoking: Smoke can damage the inside walls of arteries and allow cholesterol deposits to slow blood flow in the coronary arteries.

Diabetes: Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of myocardial ischemia.

High blood pressure: Hypertension can worsen atherosclerosis, leading to damage to the coronary arteries.

Obesity: Obesity is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels, factors which are already known to cause myocardial ischemia.

Sedentary lifestyle: Not being active contributes to obesity, which is already associated with ischemia.

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Bypass surgery with heart in beating condition is safer than on-pump method

A medical study found that conducting bypass surgery while keeping the heart beating is as safe as doing it with the support of heart-lung machine in heart patients, particularly in India.

Traditionally, bypass surgery is performed by stopping the heart and using a heart lung machine. Recently, a new technique was developed to perform the surgery, keeping the heart in beating condition.

The study was conducted by a group of seven doctors. The study findings were published in Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. A Dr. had also made a presentation on the findings at a conference of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery at San Diego in May last year.

"The first procedure is called on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, while the latest method is called off-pump or beating heart surgery. Particularly in India, where there is a high prevalence of diabetes and kidney ailments among the heart patients, off-pump CABG is safer and has lesser complications, compared to on-pump surgery," the Dr. explained.

The team conducted the study on 320 patients who had undergone bypass surgery either by on-pump and off-pump CABG. "They were investigated with angiography at an interval of three months to evaluate the quality of grafting. Postoperative angiography confirmed that the patients who underwent off-pump surgeries were as healthy as those who had undergone on-pump CABG," the Dr. said.

It is believed that about 1.5 lakh bypass surgeries take place in India every year. Of them, 60 per cent are now being done on beating heart and the remaining 40 per cent are done with the aid of a heart-lung machine.
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WHAT IS A HEART ATTACK?

When the blood supply to the heart decreases or stops, then the heart muscles don't get the oxygen it needs. Without oxygen, the cells die. The most important issue is to know how to get the blood supply to the heart quickly, for which one may need medical help at the earliest.

How does the heart attack happen? Cholesterol or fatty substances build up in the blood vessels, which are called plaques. At times, the formation of plaques is too much, due to which the blood supply to the heart gets reduced, especially if it happens to one of the important arteries which supply blood to the heart. Most heart attack happens, when a piece of the plaque breaks up and a clot forms around this piece, which blocks the artery.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
One may feel pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest, get breathless, faint, sweat or feel sick in your stomach. Your neck, jaw or shoulders may also have acute pain. Normally a person wakes up at night due to shooting pain in the jaw, which may last hardly for a minute, which is also a symptom of heart attack, this pain will wake that person, then it will subside.

Men usually have more sweating due to heart attack and pain down their left arm than women.Women are more likely to have back or neck pain, heartburn and breathlessness.Some women do get acute stomach pain for nothing to do with stomach upset, feel light-headed, dizzy, nauseating. Couple of weeks before heart attack, women may have flu-like symptoms and sleep problems.Some women feel extreme tiredness before an attack for a couple of days.

If one feels it to be a heart attack, best is to get medical help at once, as then survival chances are good, if you get treatment within 90 minutes. One should keep a sorbitrate under the tongue, as this will help to dilute the blood and help it to flow to the heart.

Diagnosis of a heart attack
 An EKG, which checks your heart's electrical activity, can help doctors see if you're having a heart attack. It can also show which artery is clogged or blocked.

Doctors can also diagnose a heart attack with blood tests that look for proteins that heart cells release when they die.

Treatment- Doctors immediately administer drugs to dissolve the clots. Then an angiogram can be done  to know which artery is blocked .A thin tube with a tiny balloon on the end goes through your artery. It opens up the blockage by flattening the plaque against the walls. Most times, doctors place a small, mesh tube called a stent in your artery to make sure it stays open.

Who are at risk of getting a heart attack? 
 Your odds of having a heart attack go up with age, and men are more likely to have one than women. A family history of heart disease also increases your risk. Smoking, having high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and being obese. Stress, a lack of exercise, and depression can also increase your chance of getting a heart attack.

Preventive steps-
If you're smoker, give up smoking. Eat a well balanced diet, exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, eat more fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains and millets. Learn steps to overcome depression, try to be more positive, take your medications regularly as prescribed by your doctor. Practice meditation, yoga, be more social, always keep sorbitrate handy if you're genetically prone to heart attack.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.

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What Happens During A Heart-Attack

What Is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack happens when the blood flow to your heart is suddenly reduced or cut off. Your blood carries oxygen to the heart. During a heart attack, your heart muscle doesn't get the oxygen it needs. Without oxygen, the heart muscle can be damaged or destroyed.

Getting your blood flow restored quickly is the key to recovery. Get medical help right away if you think you're having symptoms of a heart attack.



Causes of a Heart Attack

A buildup of cholesterol and a fatty material called plaque in your artery walls usually causes a heart attack. The buildup of plaque takes years.

Most heart attacks happen when plaque breaks off your artery wall. A blood clot then forms around the broken-off plaque, blocking the artery.

Heart Attack Symptoms

Men and women have different symptoms, but both may have pain, pressure, or discomfort in the chest. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating, fainting, and nausea. You may also have pain in the neck, jaw, or shoulders.

Men are more likely to break out in a cold sweat and feel pain move down the left arm during a heart attack.

Symptoms in Women

About 435,000 women have heart attacks in the U.S. each year. The symptoms can be so mild they are often dismissed as something minor.

Women are more likely than men to have back or neck pain, heartburn, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and indigestion. They may also feel extremely tired, light-headed, or dizzy. Flu-like symptoms and sleep problems may also occur 2 weeks before a heart attack.



What to Do

If you or someone you're with has symptoms that might be a heart attack, call 911 right away. You're more likely to survive if you get treated within 90 minutes.

While you're calling 911, the person with heart attack symptoms should chew and swallow an aspirin to lower the risk of a blood clot (unless they're allergic). If the person is unconscious, hands-only CPR can double his chances of survival.

Diagnosis of a Heart Attack

An EKG, which checks your heart's electrical activity, can help doctors see if you're having a heart attack. It can also show which artery is clogged.

Doctors can also diagnose a heart attack with blood tests that measure the proteins that are released when heart muscle cells die.

Heart Attack Treatment

Doctors will move quickly to restore the flow of blood to your heart. You may get drugs that dissolve blood clots in your arteries.

You'll likely get a procedure called a coronary angiogram. Doctors put a thin tube with a balloon on the end through your artery. It opens up the blockage by flattening the plaque in your arteries. Most times doctors place a small, mesh tube called a stent in your artery to make sure it stays open.


Risks for Heart Attack

Your odds of having a heart attack go up with age, and men have a greater risk than women. A family history of heart disease also increases your risk.

Smoking can raise your risk of a heart attack. So can having high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and being obese. Other things that can raise your risk of a heart attack are a lack of exercise, depression, and stress.

How to Prevent a Heart Attack

If you smoke, stop. It will immediately cut your chances of a heart attack by a third.

Get exercise and eat right. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Eat plenty of fruits, veggies, and whole grains to keep your arteries healthy.

Taking a daily aspirin helps some people prevent a heart attack. Talk to your doctor to see if it's right for you.

Find positive ways to manage stress.

Life After a Heart Attack

If you're in the hospital for a heart attack, you may come home in just a few days. You can resume your normal activities after a few weeks.

Cardiac rehab can help you recover. You'll get a fitness program that's made just for you, and learn how to keep up a heart-healthy lifestyle. Counselors give you support if you're depressed or worried about getting a second heart attack.


THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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I'll be away

Hi All

have a great festive season ahead. I'm likely to be away for some days, was already in n out of hospital during the last few days. First thought just acute attack of asthma, then pulmonary embolism was ruled out with CT, now it is thought to be cardiac problem, as 2 years back I did have a heart attack, was in CCU for 19 days with oxygen 24x 7, as there was too much of pericardium fluid around heart n lungs. Only after it was all drained out, totally almost 1 litre, I was able to breathe on my own.

So, just keep your fingers crossed that it is nothing serious, so, I'm back to blogging soon. As now, having chest pain, even with little walking, breathlessness, too much pressure in my chest. Dr. wants to do an angio on Thursday, sad part is my little grandson, just 1 year old is coming to visit me & I'll be in the hospital, miss my time with my son n his family.

Take care all of you out there. Good health, keep smiling.

Happy Diwali, Halloween etc to all around the world.

The BEST WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR KIDNEYS,

The kidneys' job is to help remove various toxins (drugs and food wastes), and expel them through the urine.

As we grow older, our kidneys will also start to age. A problem with kidney disease is that majority of patients have no warning symptoms.

Here are 9 ways to protect your kidneys:

1. Limit your salt intake

Too much salt is not only bad for your blood pressure, it's also bad for your kidneys. Many die of kidney disease, which can be partly attributed to a high salt intake and fondness for fish sauce, soy sauce, plain salt and salted fish. Even instant noodles, chips and nuts are teeming with salt. The problem with salt is that it encourages the body to retain water, and can increase your blood pressure (which damages the kidneys).

2. Don't load up on high protein foods such as meat and steaks

A high protein diet makes the kidneys work twice as hard. Pretty soon, your kidneys could get tired and some of the weaker kidney cells can die.  The time-tested doctor's advice of moderation in everything will serve you well. Eat a balanced diet of rice, vegetables, fish and fruits and you can't go wrong.

3. Keep your blood pressure at 130/80 or lower

If your blood pressure is above 140 over 90, this can cause kidney damage within five years. The kidneys are said to be "happiest" with a blood pressure of 130/80 or lower. To help control your blood pressure, you should limit your salt intake, reduce weight and take medicines for high blood pressure, if needed.

4. Keep your blood sugar below 120 mg/dl

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney failure. A person with uncontrolled diabetes for 5-10 years may develop significant kidney damage. Consult your doctor and keep your blood sugar under control with diet, exercise and maintenance medicines.

5. Drink 8 glasses of water a day

Doctors usually advise people to take in 8 glasses of water a day, but this really depends on your age and condition. If you're sweating a lot and work outdoors, you may need to drink more than 8 glasses a day. However, if you are above 65 years of age, you may do well with just 6 glasses a day. Drinking enough water also prevents the formation of kidney stones.

6. Watch your intake of pain relievers and other drugs

Taking pain relievers like mefenamic acid, ibuprofen and the coxibs (like celecoxib) for a prolonged period of time may cause kidney damage. Because of this, we should limit taking these medicines to only a week, or just take them as needed. For those with chronic arthritis, try to look for other ways to relieve the pain such as using a hot water bag, pain reliever ointments, or the safer paracetamol tablet.

7. Be careful with tests and procedures using contrast dyes

Some tests, like CT Scans and MRIs, and angiograms, use a contrast dye which helps doctors delineate the organs better. The problem with such dyes is that they can cause kidney damage. To be safe, I would strongly advise you to consult a kidney specialist before undergoing such procedures.

8. Don't drink too much Vitamin C

Excess vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can lead to the formation of kidney stones in predisposed individuals. If you need to take vitamin C, a dose of 500 mg or less is safer.

9. Don't rely on food supplements to protect your kidneys...