Health Facts

The information provided below was by The American Heart Association. We have placed it here as a guide and a reference. If you or someone close to you is experiencing a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY!
COMMON HEALTH TERMS
AED - Automated External Defibrillator
CAD - Coronary Artery Disease
CPR -
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Myocardial Infarction - The damaging or death of an area of the heart muscle (myocardium) resulting from a blocked blood supply to that area; medical term for a heart attack.
Coronary Thrombosis - Formation of a clot in one of the arteries that conduct blood to the heart muscle. Also called coronary occlusion.
Coronary Occlusion - An obstruction of a coronary artery that hinders blood flow to some part of the heart muscle. A cause of heart attack.

HEALTH FACTS
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
EMS treats about 300,000 victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year in the U.S.
Less than eight percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive.
Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.
Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR.
Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.
The American Heart Association trains more than 12 million people in CPR annually, including healthcare professionals and the general public.
The most effective rate for chest compressions is greater than 100 compressions per minute – the same rhythm as the beat of the BeeGee’s song, “Stayin’ Alive.”

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)
Unless CPR and defibrillation are provided within minutes of collapse, few attempts at resuscitation are successful.
Even if CPR is performed, defibrillation with an AED is required to stop the abnormal rhythm and restore a normal heart rhythm.
New technology has made AEDs simple and user-friendly. Clear audio and visual cues tell users what to do when using an AED and coach people through CPR. A shock is delivered only if the victim needs it.
AEDs are now widely available in public places such as schools, airports and workplaces.

Teens/Youth
About 5,900 children 18 years old and under suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year from all causes – including trauma, cardiovascular causes and sudden infant death syndrome.
The incidence of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in high school athletes ranges from .28 to 1 death per 100,000 high school athletes annually in the U.S.
The American Heart Association does not have a minimum age requirement for people to learn CPR. The ability to perform CPR is based more on body strength rather than age.
Studies have shown that children as young as 9 years old can learn and retain CPR skills.


HEART ATTACKS
Every year, tens of thousands of Americans survive heart attack, go back to work and enjoy a normal life. You have every reason to be confident of a full recovery. Your heart is healing and with each passing day you'll get stronger and more active. The following questions and answers will help you better understand what has happened to you and how you get started on the road to recovery.

About Heart Attacks
Why did I have a heart attack?
Your heart muscle needs oxygen to survive. A coronary attack (heart attack) occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely. This happens because coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood can slowly become thicker and harder from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances that together are called plaque. This slow process is known as atherosclerosis . When a plaque in a heart artery breaks, a blood clot forms around the plaque. This blood clot can block the artery and shut off blood flow to the heart muscle. When the heart muscle is starved for oxygen and nutrients, it is called ischemia. When damage or death of part of the heart muscle occurs as a result of ischemia, it is called a heart attack or myocardial infarction (MI). About every 34 seconds, someone in the United States has a myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Why didn't I have a warning?
Atherosclerosis has no symptoms. One reason there may be no warning signs is that sometimes when a coronary artery becomes narrowed, other nearby vessels that also bring blood to the heart sometimes expand to help compensate. The network of expanded vessels is called collateral circulation and helps protect some people from heart attacks by getting needed blood to the heart. Collateral circulation can also develop after a heart attack to help the heart muscle recover.

Is my heart permanently damaged?
When a heart attack occurs, the heart muscle that has lost blood supply begins to die. The amount of damage to the heart muscle depends on the size of the area supplied by the blocked artery and the time between injury and treatment. Damage to the heart muscle from a heart attack heals by forming scar tissue. It usually takes a month to several weeks for your heart muscle to heal. The length of time depends on the extent of your injury and your own rate of healing. The heart is a very tough organ. Even though a part of it may have died, the rest keeps working. But because your heart has been damaged, it is weaker and can't pump as much blood as usual. However, with proper treatment and lifestyle changes, further damage can be limited or prevented. Learn more about heart damage detection.

Will I recover from my heart attack?
The answer is most likely yes. The heart muscle begins to heal soon after a heart attack and usually takes about eight weeks. Scar tissue will form in the damaged area, and that scar tissue does not contract or pump as well as healthy muscle tissue. That means the heart can't pump as well as before. The degree of loss of function depends on the size and location of the scar tissue. Most heart attack survivors have some degree of coronary artery disease (CAD) and will have to make important lifestyle changes and possibly take medication to prevent a future heart attack and lead a full, productive life.


Is all chest pain a heart attack?
No. One very common type of chest pain is called angina, or angina pectoris. It's a recurring discomfort that usually lasts only a few minutes. Angina occurs when your heart muscle doesn't get the blood supply and oxygen that it needs. The difference between angina and a heart attack is that angina attacks don't permanently damage the heart muscle. Often angina occurs during exercise or emotional stress when your heart rate and blood pressure increase and your heart muscle needs more oxygen. Learn more about angina pectoris.

What are the other medical terms for heart attacks?
Different medical terms for heart attacks include: Myocardial Infarction, Coronary Thrombosis, Coronary Inclusion.

Are there other causes of heart attacks besides blockage?
Sometimes a coronary artery temporarily contracts or goes into spasm. When this happens the artery narrows and blood flow to part of the heart muscle decreases or stops. We're not sure what causes a spasm. A spasm can occur in normal-appearing blood vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked by atherosclerosis. A severe spasm can cause a heart attack.

Is a heart attack the same as a cardiac arrest?
No. Heart attacks are caused by a blockage that stops blood flow to the heart. Cardiac arrest is caused when the heart's electrical system malfunctions. In cardiac arrest (also called sudden cardiac death or SCD), death results when the heart suddenly stops working properly. This is caused by abnormal, or irregular, heart rhythms (called arrhythmias). The most common arrhythmia in cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. This is when the heart's lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and don't pump blood. Death occurs within minutes after the heart stops. Cardiac arrest may be reversed if CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is performed and a defibrillator is used to shock the heart and restore a normal heart rhythm within a few minutes. Learn more about cardiac arrest.

Warning Signs
Chest discomfort - Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Discomfort in other areas of the body - Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath - with or without chest discomfort.
May also include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Understanding Your Risk for Cardiac Arrest
Extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack.
Major risk factors are those that research has shown significantly increase the risk of heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease.
Contributing risk factors
Other factors are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but their significance and prevalence haven't yet been precisely determined.
Modifiable risk factors
The American Heart Association has identified several risk factors. Some of them can be modified, treated or controlled, and some can't.
Risk calculations
The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing coronary heart disease. Also, the greater the level of each risk factor, the greater the risk. For example, a person with a total cholesterol of 300 mg/dL has a greater risk than someone with a total cholesterol of 245 mg/dL, even though everyone with a total cholesterol greater than 240 is considered high-risk.

Risk Factors & Coronary Heart Disease
Extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack.
Major risk factors are those that research has shown significantly increase the risk of heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease.
Contributing risk factors are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but their significance and prevalence haven't yet been precisely determined.
The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing coronary heart disease. Also, the greater the level of each risk factor, the more that factor affects your overall risk.

Major Risk Factors that Can't be changed
The risk factors on this list are ones you're born with and cannot be changed. The more of these risk factors you have, the greater your chance of developing coronary heart disease. Since you can't do anything about these risk factors, it's even more important for you to manage the risk factors that can be changed.
Increasing Age - About 82 percent of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are more likely than men are to die from them within a few weeks.
Male Sex (Gender) - Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women do, and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women's death rate from heart disease increases, it's not as great as men's.
Heredity (Including Race) - Children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves. African Americans have more severe high blood pressure than Caucasians and a higher risk of heart disease. Heart disease risk is also higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes. Most people with a strong family history of heart disease have one or more other risk factors. Just as you can't control your age, sex and race, you can't control your family history. Therefore, it's even more important to treat and control any other risk factors you have.

Major Risk Factors You Can Modify, Treat, or Control by Changing Your Lifestyle or Taking Medicine
Tobacco smoke - Smokers' risk of developing coronary heart disease is 2-4 times that of nonsmokers. People who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day have more than twice the risk of heart attack than people who’ve never smoked. Cigarette smoking is a powerful independent risk factor for sudden cardiac death in patients with coronary heart disease. Cigarette smoking also acts with other risk factors to greatly increase the risk for coronary heart disease. People who smoke cigars or pipes seem to have a higher risk of death from coronary heart disease (and possibly stroke) but their risk isn't as great as cigarette smokers'. Exposure to other people's smoke increases the risk of heart disease even for nonsmokers.
High blood cholesterol - As blood cholesterol rises, so does risk of coronary heart disease. When other risk factors (such as high blood pressure and tobacco smoke) are present, this risk increases even more. A person's cholesterol level is also affected by age, sex, heredity and diet. Here's the lowdown on where those numbers need to be:
 ● Total Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL
 ● LDL (bad) Cholesterol:
     ● If you're at low risk for heart disease: Less than 160 mg/dL
     ● If you're at intermediate risk for heart disease: Less than 130 mg/dL
     ● If you're at high risk for heart disease (including those with existing heart disease or diabetes): Less than 100mg/dL
 ● HDL (good) Cholesterol: 40 mg/dL or higher for men and 50 mg/dL or higher for women
 ● Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL


CARDIAC ARREST
Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have diagnosed heart disease. The time and mode of death are unexpected. It occurs instantly or shortly after symptoms appear. Each year about 295,000 emergency medical services-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States.
Cardiac arrest is caused when the heart's electrical system malfunctions. In cardiac arrest death results when the heart suddenly stops working properly. This is caused by abnormal, or irregular, heart rhythms (called arrhythmias). The most common arrhythmia in cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. This is when the heart's lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and don't pump blood. Death occurs within minutes after the heart stops. Cardiac arrest may be reversed if CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is performed or a defibrillator is used to shock the heart and restore a normal heart rhythm within a few minutes.


Warning Signs
Sudden loss of responsiveness - no response to tapping on the shoulders.
No normal breathing - The victim does not take a normal breath when you tilt the head up and check for at least five seconds.

Understanding Your Risk for Cardiac Arrest
Sudden cardiac arrest may be caused by almost any known heart condition. Most cardiac arrests occur when the diseased heart's electrical system malfunctions, producing an abnormal rhythm such as ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Some cardiac arrests are caused by extreme slowing of the heart's rhythm. All these events are called life-threatening arrhythmias.

Scarring from a prior heart attack or other causes: A heart that's scarred or enlarged from any cause is prone to develop life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. The first six months after a heart attack is a particularly high-risk period for sudden cardiac arrest in patients with atherosclerotic heart disease.
A thickened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy) from any cause (typically high blood pressure or valvular heart disease) — especially if you also have heart failure — can make you more prone to sudden cardiac arrest.
Heart medications: Under certain conditions, various heart medications can set the stage for arrhythmias that cause sudden cardiac arrest. Paradoxically, antiarrhythmic drugs used to treat arrhythmias can sometimes produce lethal ventricular arrhythmias even at normally prescribed doses. This is called a "proarrhythmic" effect. Regardless of whether there's organic heart disease, significant changes in blood levels of potassium and magnesium (from using diuretics, for example) also can cause life-threatening arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.
Electrical abnormalities: Certain electrical abnormalities such as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and long QT syndrome may cause sudden cardiac arrest in children and young people.
Blood vessel abnormalities: Less often, inborn blood vessel abnormalities, particularly in the coronary arteries and aorta, may be present in young sudden death victims. Adrenaline released during intense physical or athletic activity often acts as a trigger for sudden cardiac arrest when these abnormalities are present.
Recreational drug use: In people without organic heart disease, recreational drug use is a cause of sudden cardiac arrest.

 

 

   
   

Copyright © 2011 · All Rights Reserved · CPRAnywhere.com - Knowledge to Save Lives