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Symptoms of infarction and chest pain (P2)

Symptoms of infarction and chest pain (P2)

Edited by: at 10/10/2023

Heart disease from atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death among the population aged 35-60 years.

Dr. José Roberto Victoria Nandayapa

Atherosclerosis or cholesterol deposition in the artery wall is progressive and slow as it occurs for years. As long as the obstruction of the artery is not more than 50% of the normal diameter, the function of the heart is not affected and the patient does physical activity without any discomfort. Sometimes, because of factors not well established, the cholesterol plaque ruptures and a clot forms within the artery. If the clot that forms increases completely to cover the artery, blood flow is interrupted and causes irreversible damage to the heart (myocardial infarction). If the clot does not fully occlude the artery and allows blood flow the damage to the heart is partial and is defined as unstable angina.

Thrombus formation occurs suddenly and rapidly, and can occur in apparently healthy people. Obstruction of the arteries in addition to causing pain, alters the functioning of the heart. It decreases the pumping force and can cause accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) with difficulty breathing and even death. It has not been possible to define conclusively that it triggers the rupture of the cholesterol plaque and the formation of the clot within the artery; but having high blood cholesterol levels, or having diabetes and / or uncontrolled blood pressure favors these events.

When the clot forms inside the artery, a region of the heart stops having blood flow or the one receiving is insufficient, so that the patient begins to feel pain or discomfort in the chest. Disruption of blood flow can lead to arrhythmias with loss of heartbeat (sudden cardiac arrest) and sudden death. Many patients who are successfully resuscitated from a heart failure report having had prodromes of pain or discomfort warning of circulatory collapse. For this reason, chest pain should not be ignored or minimized until reasonably ruled out that they are not of cardiac origin. Any chest pain event is an alarm situation, and should be valued by experienced physicians to rule out the pain being of cardiac origin.

What should I do during a heart attack?

When a patient begins to feel the symptoms mentioned above, he or she must request help immediately or go to a hospital (accompanied).

Not all Hospitals offer the same care and delays in diagnosis and / or optimal treatment can be fatal. Identify that Hospitals are prepared to handle 24-hour cardiac emergencies. Caution: For fear of causing a "false alarm" or denial many patients ignore the symptoms and wait up to more than 2 hours for help. The longer the risk and the greater the damage. Finally, if your family members have had heart problems or are at high risk, be able to identify a heart attack, and train in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation, it can be the difference between life and death.

Cardiology in Hermosillo