Heart Attack Specialist

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, occurs when the blood flow to your heart stops. Without blood, your heart doesn’t get the oxygen and nutrients needed to survive. As a result, the tissues die, the heart muscles can’t work, and you have a heart attack.

Without emergency treatment, a heart attack can lead to death. At the first sign of symptoms, call 911 immediately. 

Don’t drive yourself to the hospital. You could lose consciousness while driving. Additionally, emergency medical responders are prepared to start life-saving treatment.

What symptoms develop during a heart attack?

Though chest pain is common, heart attack symptoms vary for each person. You may not have chest pain; instead, you may have other signs.

In addition to chest pain and pressure, you may experience:

• Shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
• Neck, jaw, shoulder, or upper back pain
• Sudden, severe indigestion or heartburn
• Nausea or abdominal pain
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Cold sweat
• Fatigue

Though women also have chest pain, they’re more likely than men to experience symptoms such as indigestion, fatigue, and shoulder pain.

What causes a heart attack?

Most heart attacks occur when cholesterol builds up on the wall of a coronary artery. This condition, called atherosclerosis, gets progressively worse as the fatty plaque enlarges and hardens.

You have a heart attack when the plaque gets large enough to block the flow of blood to your heart. You can also have a heart attack when the plaque ruptures and creates a blood clot that stops blood from flowing through the artery.

Cardiac Care Consultants provides the care you need to prevent a heart attack. The team can also assist with post-heart attack care.

What happens after a heart attack?

Your treatment in the emergency department may include medication to dissolve an existing clot, prevent new clots, treat chest pain, or relax your heart muscles.

You may also need an emergency cardiac catheterization to open the artery, repair damaged structures, and restore normal blood flow. The team at Cardiac Care Consultants often performs angioplasty and coronary stent implantation.

After you leave the hospital, Cardiac Care Consultants creates a treatment plan that supports your recovery and maintains optimal heart health. Your ongoing care after a heart attack may include:

• Anticoagulation management (including Coumadin)
• Hyperlipidemia treatment
• Hypertension treatment
• Nutrition counseling
• Catheterization
• Stress management
• Smoking cessation
• Weight management

Cardiac Care Consultants schedules regular appointments to monitor your recovery and performs routine testing to determine if you need a change in treatment.

When you need care for a heart attack and recovery, call Cardiac Care Consultants, or book an appointment online.