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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Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation ( AFib) is a condition that disrupts your heartbeat. A glitch in the heart’s electrical system makes its upper chambers (the atria) beat so fast they quiver, or fibrillate. This causes the lower chambers (the ventricles) to beat out of sync.
AFib can be dangerous because it raises your risk of stroke and heart failure.
 Usually the atria and ventricles work together so the heart pumps blood in steady rhythm. But in AFib, they don't. The irregular beats can cause a fast, fluttering heart rate -- 100-175 beats per minute -- instead of the normal 60-100 beats per minute.

Some warning signs 
many people may not have any symptom, but some may feel these following signs-
 An uneven pulse 
A racing or pounding heart 
A feeling that your heart is fluttering 
Chest pain
Feeling short of breath
Those who have AFib their blood doesn't move well throughout your body. One may feel:
Dizzy or faint
Breathless
Weak and fatigued

 When It's an Emergency
AFib isn't always a cause for alarm. But you should call your hospital if you've any of these following signs-Severe chest pain
Uneven pulse and feel faint
Signs of a stroke, such as numbness or slurred speech
And let your doctor know whenever something doesn't feel right

 Risk of Stroke
When your heart isn't pumping like it should, the slow-moving blood can pool inside, which makes it easier for clots to form. If that happens, and a clot travels through the bloodstream to your brain and gets stuck, you could have a stroke. People with AFib are five times more likely to have one.

Common causes of AFib 
High blood pressure
Coronary artery disease and heart attacks
Heart failure
Problems with heart valves
Sometimes, AFib may be set off by thyroid disorders or serious infections like pneumonia.

Things that you can control- 
if obese, lose weight 
quit smoking
reduce alcohol intake
certain prescription drugs, such as albuterol- then ask your Dr. to change the medication
don't take stimulants and illegal drugs

Lone AFib

When it happens without an obvious trigger, it's called lone AFib. This is more common in people younger than 65.
You'll need treatment if a rapid heartbeat causes troubling symptoms. Doctors may also recommend treating it to lower the chances of stroke for people already at risk.

Diagnosis of AFib
 The way to confirm AFib is with an electrocardiogram (EKG). The machine detects and records the electrical activity of your heart, so your doctor can see problems with its rhythm. You can do it in the doctor's office, or you may need to wear a device that keeps track of your heart's activity for a longer time to catch an episode.

If an EKG shows AFib, your doctor may want to learn more about your heart. An echocardiogram or ultrasound can show valve damage or signs of heart failure. A stress test can reveal how well your heart does when it's working hard.
Your doctor may also want tests to look for conditions that could have triggered your AFib.

Treatment
 Your doctor may try to restore a normal heart rhythm with electric shock or medication. But if you've been having AFib for more than 48 hours, the procedure could increase your chance of a stroke. You may need to take a medicine called a blood thinner for several weeks before your doctor tries cardioversion, as well as afterward.

If your symptoms are mild, or if AFib comes back after cardioversion, you may be able to control it with medicine. Rhythm-control drugs help keep the pattern of your heartbeat steady. Rate-control medications keep your heart from beating too fast.
Daily aspirin or drugs called anticoagulents or blood thinners can help prevent clots and lower some people's chances of having a stroke.
 

Intervention

A doctor feeds a small probe through a blood vessel to your heart and uses radiofrequency energy, a laser, or intense cold to zap the tissue that sends out the bad signals. Although you won't need open heart surgery, the procedure has some risks. It's only for people who have serious symptoms that cardioversion and medications haven't helped.

Surgery

In the maze procedure, the doctor makes a pattern of small cuts on your heart to create scar tissue. These scars can't pass electrical signals, so they stop AFib. Usually you'd have this done during open heart surgery, but some medical centers can do it with smaller openings that cause less stress on your body. You may need a pacemaker after ablation, depending where the tissue was.Getting a pacemaker put in your chest is considered minor surgery, and it usually takes about an hour.

Effects
 Many people find that AFib has no impact on their daily lives. But some have to manage troubling symptoms like weakness, shortness of breath, or fainting.

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

What Is Heart Disease?

Bring up heart disease, and most people think of a heart attack. But there are many conditions that can hamper the heart's ability to do its job. These include coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and heart failure. You'll want to know what they do to the body and how to recognize the warning signs.

What Is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack suddenly interrupts the heart's blood supply. This happens when there is a blockage in the coronary arteries, which carry blood to the heart muscle. When blood flow is blocked, heart muscle can be damaged very quickly and die. Prompt emergency treatment is a must and saves lives.

Heart Attack Symptoms

A heart attack is an emergency even when symptoms are mild. Warning signs include:

• Pain or pressure in the chest
• Discomfort spreading to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
• Nausea, indigestion, or heartburn
• Weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
• Fast or irregular heartbeats

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Women don't always feel chest pain with a heart attack. Compared to men, they are more likely to have heartburn, loss of appetite, tiredness or weakness, coughing, and heart flutters. Do not ignore these symptoms. Delaying treatment can mean more heart damage.

Signs of Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease happens when sticky plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. This narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. Many people don't know they have it until a heart attack strikes. But there are warning signs, such as recurring chest pain caused by the restricted blood flow. This pain is known as angina.

Inside a Heart Attack

The plaque that builds up in your arteries is hard on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside. Sometimes the hard outer shell cracks. When this happens, a blood clot forms around the plaque. If the clot completely blocks the artery, it cuts off the blood supply to a portion of the heart. Without immediate treatment, that part of the heart muscle could be damaged or destroyed.

Take Immediate Action

If you think you may be having a heart attack, even if you're not sure, call 911 right away. Do not wait to see if you feel better. And don't drive yourself to the hospital. When you call 911, the EMS staff can start emergency care as soon as they reach you.

Sudden Cardiac Death

Sudden cardiac death is not the same as a heart attack. It happens when the heart's electrical system goes haywire, making it beat irregularly and dangerously fast. The heart's pumping chambers may quiver instead of pumping blood out to the body. Without CPR and restoration of a regular heart rhythm, it can kill in minutes.

Arrythmia: Erratic Heart Beat

Regular electrical impulses make your heart beat. Sometimes those impulses become erratic. The heart may race, slow down, or quiver. Arrhythmias are often harmless variations in rhythm that pass quickly. But some types make your heart less effective at pumping blood, and that can take a serious toll on the body. Let your doctor know if you've noticed your heart beating abnormally.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a disease that involves changes in the heart muscle. It can make it harder for the heart to pump effectively, which can lead to a long-term condition called heart failure. Cardiomyopathy is sometimes linked to other conditions, such as high blood pressure or heart valve disease.

Heart Failure

Heart failure doesn't mean your heart stops working. It means the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Over time, the heart gets bigger to hold more blood, it pumps faster to increase the amount of blood moving out of it, and the blood vessels narrow. The  heart muscle may also weaken, curbing the blood supply even more. Most cases of heart failure are the result of coronary artery disease and heart attacks.

Congenital Heart Defect

A congenital heart defect is one that you're born with. The problem could be a leaky heart valve, problems in the walls that separate the heart chambers, or other heart trouble. Some defects are not found until a person becomes an adult. Not all need treatment, but some require medicine or surgery. People with congenital heart defects may more likely to develop complications such as arrhythmias, heart failure, and heart valve infection, but there are ways to lower this risk.

Electrocardiogram (EKG)

An EKG (or ECG) records the heart's electrical activity. It's a painless test that uses electrodes that go on your skin for a few minutes. The results give your doctor information about your heart rhythm and any damage to the heart muscle. An EKG can help diagnose a heart attack and check on problems such as an enlarged heart. Your doctor can also track your EKGs over time, comparing them to see how your heart is doing.

Stress Test

The stress test measures how your heart responds when it has to work hard. You'll walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike and the workout will keep getting more challenging. Your doctor will monitor your EKG, heart rate, and blood pressure. The results will help show if your heart muscle gets enough blood.

Holter Monitor

A Holter monitor is a portable heart rhythm recorder. If your doctor thinks you may have a heart rhythm problem, she may ask you to wear one for one or two days. It  records your heart's continuous electrical activity day and night, compared with an EKG, which is a snapshot in time. The doctor will probably also ask you to write down your activities and to note any symptoms and when they happen.

Chest X-ray

A chest X-ray is a picture of your heart, lungs, and chest bones that's made by using a very small amount of radiation. Doctors can use chest X-rays to look for heart and lung abnormalities.
In this image, the bulge seen on the right side is an enlarged left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber.

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram uses sound waves (ultrasound) to make moving images of the heart. The test can check the chambers and valves of your heart and how well your heart muscle and heart valves work. It's useful when doctors diagnose and evaluate several types of heart disease, as well as gauging the effectiveness of treatments.

Cardiac CT

Cardiac computerized tomography (known as cardiac CT) takes detailed images of the heart and its blood vessels. A computer stacks the images to create a 3-D picture of heart. Doctors can use cardiac CT to look for plaque or calcium buildup in the coronary arteries, heart valve problems, and other types of heart disease.

Cardiac Catheterization

Cardiac catheterization helps diagnose and treat some heart conditions. The doctor guides a narrow tube, called a catheter, through a blood vessel in your arm or leg until it reaches the coronary arteries. They inject dye into each coronary artery to make them easy to see with an X-ray. This shows any blockages and how severe they are. Doctors can do treatments such as angioplasty or inserting stents during this procedure.

Living With Heart Disease

Most forms of heart disease are chronic. In the beginning, symptoms may be too mild to affect everyday life. And in many cases, long-term treatment can keep symptoms under control. But if the heart begins to fail, people may develop shortness of breath, fatigue, or swelling in their ankles, feet, legs, and abdomen. You can manage heart failure with medication, lifestyle changes, surgery, and in some cases, a heart transplant.

Medicines

There are many prescription drugs doctors use to treat heart disease. Some lower blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol levels. Others control abnormal heart rhythms or prevent clots. For people who already have some heart damage, there are medications to help their heart pump blood.

Angioplasty

Angioplasty is a procedure that opens a blocked heart artery and improves blood flow to the heart. The doctor guides a thin catheter with a balloon on the end into the artery. When the balloon reaches the blockage, it is expanded, opening up the artery for better blood flow. The doctor may also insert a small mesh tube, called a stent, to  keep the artery open after angioplasty.

Bypass Surgery

Bypass surgery gives blood a new pathway when the coronary arteries are too narrow or blocked. The doctor first moves a blood vessel from one area of the body -- such as the chest, legs, or arms -- and attaches it to the blocked artery so it bypasses the blocked part.

Who's at Risk for Heart Disease?

Men are more likely to have a heart attack than women, and at an earlier age. But heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women alike. People with a family history of heart trouble also have a greater risk of heart trouble.

Risk Factors You Control

You are more likely to get heart disease if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes (especially if your blood sugar levels are not well controlled). Being overweight, obese, or physically inactive also make heart disease more likely. So does smoking. Talk with your doctor about your risks and make a plan to protect your heart.

Life After a Heart Attack

You can regain your health after a heart attack. Don't smoke, become more active, keep up with your medications, and follow the diet your doctor recommends. One of the best ways to learn how to make these changes is to take part in a cardiac rehab program. Ask your doctor for a referral.

Heart Disease Prevention

You can take action daily to guard your heart. This includes a healthy diet, at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week, not smoking, and controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. If you drink alcohol, limit it to no more than one drink a day for women, two drinks a day for men. Ask your friends and family to make these changes with you. It's good for them, too!

Diet and Your Heart

What you eat makes a difference. Go for plenty of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits.  Plant oils, walnuts, other nuts, and seeds are good for your cholesterol levels. Eat fish at least a couple of times each week for a good source of heart-healthy protein. If you have heart disease, you may want to work with a nutritionist as well as your doctor to make these changes.
 THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.








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Heartburn Symptoms

Heartburn is the symptom of acid reflux and GERD; however, not everyone with acid reflux 

has heartburn and not everyone with heartburn has acid reflux. The symptom of heartburn 

can also be caused by other unusual things such as intestinal motility problems. Cardiac 

problems can also mimic heartburn and you should not confuse the two. Unexplained chest 

pain should be evaluated by an exercise stress test or EKG prior to an evaluation for 

gastrointestinal problems.

Many people have different acid reflux-related heartburn triggers, but most people have 

similar heartburn symptoms.

• A burning feeling in the chest just behind the breastbone that occurs after eating and lasts 
• a few minutes to several hours.
• 
  
• Chest pain, especially after bending over, lying down, or eating.
• 
  
• Burning in the throat -- or hot, sour, acidic or salty-tasting fluid at the back of the throat.
• 
  
• Difficulty swallowing.
• 
  
• Feeling of food "sticking" in the middle of the chest or throat.
• 
  
• Heartburn may cause chronic cough, sore throat, or chronic hoarseness.

Reporting these symptoms is usually all that is needed for your doctor to make the diagnosis 

of heartburn. However, your doctor may perform special tests to determine the severity of 

your problem or to monitor your treatment. Special tests may also be needed if you have 

unusual symptoms such as weight loss or suffer from the complications of GERD.

Is It Heartburn or a Heart Attack?

Chest pain is one of the most common reasons a person goes to the emergency room. 

While many of these patients are suffering from a heart attack, some actually may be 

experiencing severe heartburn.

Often, the pain caused by a heart attack and during a severe heartburn episode is so difficult 

to distinguish that sophisticated medical testing is needed to determine whether or not you 

are having a heart attack. To complicate matters even more, the two problems have many of 

the same symptoms and occur in similar types of people (For example, older age and 

overweight people.)

Signs more typical of heartburn include:

• A sharp, burning sensation just below the breastbone or ribs.
• Pain generally does not radiate to the shoulders, neck, or arms, but it can.
• Pain usually comes after meals, when lying on the back, when exercising or when experiencing anxiety.
• Symptoms usually respond quickly to antacids.
• Rarely accompanied by a cold sweat.

Signs more typical of angina (severe pain in chest area) or heart attack include:

• A feeling of fullness, tightness, or dull pressure or pain generally in the center of the chest.
• The feeling of a belt being tightened around your chest
• Sudden chest pain or pressure that worsens
• Dizziness
• Pain may spread to the shoulders, neck, jaw or arms
• Pain often responds quickly to nitroglycerin
• Shortness of breath
• Often accompanied by a cold sweat
• Possible light-headedness

If you have any pain that lasts for more than a few minutes or any warning signs of a heart 

attack, seek immediate medical attention. If there's any confusion about whether your 

symptoms are heartburn or a heart attack, also seek immediate medical attention.

How Hypertension Affects Your Heart Beat?

When the heart beats, it acts like a pump that takes in de-oxygenated blood from the body, and pushes out oxygenated blood with great pressure. The pushing out of blood leads to  pressure being exerted by the blood on the blood vessels in the body. This is known as blood pressure. Although the workings of the heart are not that simple, the explanation shows that there is a direct correlation between  the number of heartbeats and blood pressure. In some cases the heart may beat at a normal rate, but due to other factors, like blocks in the blood vessels, irregularities of the valves within the heart etc, a person could suffer from high blood pressure. According to a Dr, ‘Optimal blood pressure is below 120/80. A person can be diagnosed with high blood pressure if his/her BP is above 140/90. Anything in between is considered as borderline’.

Apart from this, some people might suffer from a condition called Aterial fibrillation or AF. Although this condition is not very common, people with this condition experience extremely irregular heartbeats, which then leads to high or low blood pressure, dizziness and in some cases can lead to a heart attack or stroke. It may have no symptoms and can only be detected by either checking the pulse, or by a healthcare professional. An episode of AF can lead to formation of blood clots, which may flow out of the heart and cause blocks in other blood vessels, leading to severe consequences strokes. AF episodes first start off intermittently and may become permanent in the long run.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is the most common risk factor that leads to AF. If both AF and hypertension coexist, it puts a person at higher risk of suffering from a stroke.

What is normal and what isn’t when it comes to heartbeats? 

According to Dr, ‘a normal heart rate consists of 60-90 heart beats per minute, when a person is at rest. Anything above or below this can be considered abnormal’. According to specialists, a heart rate that is higher than 100 to 150 beats is considered extremely dangerous. Symptoms usually range from feeling faint, uneasiness usually in the chest, fainting etc.

How does one detect any kind of abnormality in the heartbeats?

If a person feels that his/her heartbeat might be above or below normal, the best way to detect it is to simply measure his/her blood pressure and pulse rate. In the case of patients who are suffering from AF, their doctor will perform some simple tests to detect it. He/she may perform tests like an EKG (Electrocardiography), Holter test, Stress test, chest X-ray, and in some cases a blood test as well. All these tests are absolutely painless and non invasive in nature. If a doctor finds it difficult to detect the extent of the AF he may prescribe an Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). This is a test where the doctor will use a probe to check for irregular heartbeats through the oesophagus.

What are the treatment options for  irregular heartbeats?

There are basically two ways to control irregular heartbeats, they are – the rhythm control method  and rate control method.

The aim of the rhythm control method is to regularize  a person’s heartbeat. A doctor may primarily choose to treat a patient with medication, and if that fails, the patient might be given a controlled shock over the heart to regularize his/her  heart rate. Dr Contractor says , ‘All  procedures must be  strictly monitored by a trained professional, and should never be tried without supervision’.

The rate control method employs medication to slow the heart rate of a person. In most cases these medications also help to control irregular heart beats.

Lastly, remember that prevention is always better than cure, so get some exercise, eat healthy and get regular check ups to stay in shape.