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.
