emergency procedure to be followed in case of a heart attack?
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Answers:
What treatments are available?
The goals of heart attack treatment are to return blood flow to your heart muscle, bring back a regular heartbeat, and give your heart time to recover.
The development of "clot busters" called thrombolytic agents (streptokinase, urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator) has increased survival rates for heart attack patients when these medicines are given as soon as possible after an attack. The term thrombolysis means to break up a clot, and that is exactly what these medicines do. In some cases, these medicines can break up a clot within minutes. To work best, they must be given as soon as possible after a heart attack.
You may also receive aspirin and blood-thinning medicines (anticoagulants) to stop clots from forming or growing in size. Also, oxygen may be given to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood still flowing through your heart. Painkillers may be used to reduce the pain. Some patients are also given medicines aimed at slowing their heart rate, opening and relaxing their blood vessels, and reducing the work of the heart.
Most patients respond well to these medicines. Those who do not respond well may need further emergency care, such as balloon angioplasty and stenting, coronary artery bypass surgery, or a related procedure.
Rest is important very early after a heart attack. But within a few days, you should be up and moving around, taking short walks, and getting other kinds of limited exercise. Studies have shown that the heart benefits from exercise, even after a heart attack.
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Candidates for Emergency Angioplasty
As with thrombolytic treatments, angioplasty is most effective when performed within 12 hours of symptoms, and the sooner the better. The best candidates are the following:
Most patients who are also good candidates for thrombolytic therapy.
Women who meet the criteria for both approaches may be better candidates for angioplasty than thrombolytic therapy. In fact, in a 2002 study, survival rates at one year were better in women who had had angioplasty than in men. (Previous reports showing higher mortality rates may have been due to a worse outcome in smaller people than larger ones with this procedure.)
Elderly patients who meet the criteria for both approaches tend to do better with angioplasty than thrombolytic therapy.
Patients with diabetes who meet the criteria for both approaches.
Patients younger than 75 who go into shock (when angioplasty can be performed within 18 hours of shock onset). There is no advantage for patients over 75 who are in shock.
Although revascularization is not effective in most patients with non-ST elevation heart attacks, it might benefit certain subsets of these patients, such as those who show reduced blood flow in the damaged artery and when angioplasty can be performed within 12 hours.
It should be strongly noted that the experience of the medical center's staff is critical for optimal benefits, and not all surgeons are experienced in angioplasty. However, the procedure is becoming increasingly available and overall mortality rates are improving over time with angioplasty. Patients or their families should be sure their surgeon has performed at least 75 of these procedures and that the medical center has performed at least 200.
Other Answers:
Call an ambulance first. If you are the victim, quickly take your medication and try to rest. If you are the bystander, you can look at the link.
if someone complains of chest pain or tightness, give them an aspirin and tell them to CHEW it. Then call EMS, and insist the person goes to hospital. many are in denial.
Get yourself to a damn emergency department.
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