What Happens When Someone Has a Heart Attack?
At the initial stage of a heart attack you will begin to feel discomfort in your chest area. This pain can come in several forms such as fullness of the chest, squeezing sensation, fullness, tightness and pressure. It can be mild at the beginning but the pain can progress in intensity. This pain that you feel can spread onto one or both your arms, even to your jaw, neck, and stomach. You may also have difficulty in breathing, nausea, lightheadedness, sweating, and you may even collapse. These symptoms can be experienced for more than half an hour.
If a blood clot blocks an artery, the oxygen supply is disrupted causing the heart to be undernourished. In just minutes, heart muscles can die, causing permanent damage. This occurrence is generally called a heart attack.
Sometimes, a heart attack can also be triggered by a coronary artery spasm. During a coronary artery spasm, the arteries will restrict or spasm like a switch that turns on and off. This reduces the blood supply to the heart muscle.
Low blood flow means that lesser amounts of oxygen get to reach the heart. This shortage of oxygen can cause immediate damage to the blocked portion of the heart. If a steady supply of oxygen is not restored immediately, that portion of the heart can die, causing permanent damage to the heart. Scar tissue will form and take the place of the dead tissue, causing irregular heartbeat or even heart failure –both fatal.
Causes of Heart Disease
Biology dictates that your heart muscles require constant blood and oxygen supply for nourishment. The coronary arteries function to deliver to the heart its critical supply of blood. Those who are diagnosed with coronary heart disease have arteries which have become too thin or narrow that blood cannot flow as smoothly as they should. This is due to the fat deposits, calcium, inflammatory cells, and protein matter that build up inside the arteries, forming plaques. When plaque is hard, its outer covering cracks or ruptures, the platelets invade that area and then blood clots are formed.
Getting Help
So when should you go the hospital if you are experiencing chest pain? The answer is that if you are feeling any form of discomfort in your chest or any heart attack-related symptoms, immediately get some medical attention. Do not drive yourself to the hospital. Ask for help or call 911.
Making that decision when to go to the hospital without stalling is frequently the most crucial factor that determines your survival or the extent of your heart damage. Studies have shown that 1 in 3 people will die from a heart attack within the first few hours after the attack manifests itself. Denial is the top reason why most patients experiencing chest pain delay receiving medical attention and treatment. It is so hard for them to admit they have a condition and they are attempting to misdiagnose their pain as a simple indigestion.
Know the Symptoms of a Heart Attack
It is crucial to know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack in order to know how to respond to it appropriately. This can prevent permanent damage to the heart, and even death.
These are the symptoms of a heart attack:
- Chest pain
- Fullness
- Tightness
- Pressure
- Squeezing
- Pain in one or both arms, shoulders, back, jaw, neck, stomach
- Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Lightheadedness
These symptoms may start at a slow pace and will gradually worsen or, will go away and recur.
When the heart attack is over and you regain a steady heart beat and blood flow, the heart muscles will begin healing themselves almost instantly. It will usually take about eight weeks before it can completely heal.
Since scar tissue has replaced the dead heart tissue, the heart’s pumping ability will not be as strong as it used to be. This would mean that your heart will no longer be capable of producing blood supply as efficiently as before. This results in a restriction of your everyday life activities.