Experts point out that one in every five sudden deaths occurs due to heart attack and emphasize that early diagnosis is very important in heart attack. Experts state that wasting time for intervention will not only increase the amount of damaged heart muscle, but will also increase the likelihood of losing life. “There is no compensation for damaged heart muscle. "In a heart attack, time equals heart muscle," he said.
Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Brain Hospital Cardiology Specialist Prof. Dr. Mehmet Baltalı gave information about heart attack.
Prof.Dr. Mehmet Baltalı said that heart attack is a disease that develops due to blockage of the vessels feeding the heart and results in various degrees of cell death in the heart muscle fed by that vessel.
One in every 5 sudden deaths is caused by heart attack
Stating that one in every 5 sudden deaths occurs due to heart attack, Prof.Dr. Mehmet Baltalı said, "Preventing patients from dying from a heart attack depends on reaching a hospital with an interventional cardiology department as soon as possible from the first moment of the event."
Most heart attacks are due to clots formed in the coronary arteries, that is, the arteries that carry blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. Stating that it occurred, Prof.Dr. Mehmet Baltalı said, “Clots generally form in narrowed coronary arteries. Atherosclerotic plaque inside the artery wall sometimes ruptures, triggering clot formation. Clots in the coronary arteries block the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle, causing the death of heart cells in that area. "The damaged heart muscle loses its ability to contract and the rest of the heart has to do the work of this damaged part," he said.
The biggest symptom is chest pain
Referring to the symptoms of heart attack, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Baltalı said, “The biggest symptom is chest pain. When cardiac arrest occurs, it is necessary to immediately take the patient to intensive care and provide immediate intervention. If chest pain is due to a heart attack, the blocked coronary artery should be treated in a center that can perform angiography. This network has now spread in Türkiye. The patient needs to be processed quickly. So angiography should be done. Thus, the condition of the heart vessels is determined, and then the blockage there is removed with a stent. "The heart muscle is nourished again," he said.
Hypertension and diabetes are the most important risk factors
Prof.Dr. also touched upon the risk factors of coronary artery diseases and heart attack. Mehmet Baltalı listed these risk factors as age, male gender, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, smoking and a family history of coronary heart disease at an early age.
Pay attention to chest pain and changes in ECG
Prof.Dr. stated that three important findings are used in the diagnosis of heart attack in the emergency unit. Mehmet Baltalı said, “The first is the patient's complaint, which is mainly chest pain. The second is ECG (Electrocardiogram). In the majority of heart attacks, there are heart attack-specific changes on the ECG. The third is blood tests performed in the laboratory. "With this, the diagnosis is made definitively by measuring the level of some enzymes (especially Troponin I) that mix with the blood with the infarction," he said.
Painless heart attack is more dangerous
Chest pain is caused by Emphasizing that it can be seen in different ways, Baltalı said, “Chest pain behind the breastbone is the most important symptom of a heart attack. In a heart attack, also known as a silent heart attack, this pain may be very vague or not felt at all, especially in diabetic patients and the elderly. Chest pain often radiates from the chest to the shoulders or arms, neck, teeth, jaw, abdomen or back. Sometimes pain is felt in only one of these areas. Whether a heart attack is painless or painful has no effect on its severity. "Even painless cases may be more dangerous because the patient may not be aware of his disease," he warned.
Prof.Dr. Mehmet Baltalı listed other symptoms in addition to chest pain as follows: "Shortness of breath, cough, dizziness and dizziness, fainting, nausea and vomiting, the feeling of "Doomsday is coming" and distress."
What to do in a heart attack Touching on the needs, Prof.Dr. Mehmet Baltalı said, “Heart attack is an emergency. It requires hospitalization and intensive care. Because fatal rhythm disorders (arrhythmias) are the main cause of death in the first few hours of a heart attack. The goals of treatment are to stop the heart attack from progressing. "The aim is to keep heart damage to a minimum, reduce the demands on the heart so that it can heal, and prevent complications," he said.
There is no compensation for the damaged heart muscle
In a heart attack, Underlining that early diagnosis is very important, Baltalı said, “As time goes by, the probability of losing life due to rhythm disorders will increase and the amount of damaged heart muscle will increase. There is no compensation for damaged heart muscle. He warned that "TIME = HEART MUSCLE" in case of a heart attack. Prof. Dr. also gave suggestions to the patients. Mehmet Baltalı gave the following advice:
“Check your blood pressure. If necessary, use the medications recommended by your doctor.
Check your cholesterol levels. If necessary, use the medications recommended by your doctor.
Stop smoking if you smoke. If you have difficulty in this regard, get support from smoking cessation clinics.
If you have diabetes, make sure to keep it under control. If necessary, use the medications recommended by your doctor.
Follow a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in animal fat.
If you are overweight, lose weight.
Do everything you can to protect your heart health. Exercise your body by walking or doing other exercises every day or at least 4 days a week, but first consult your heart disease specialist.
Avoid stress and get professional help if necessary. Yoga, meditation, psychiatrist, etc.).
If you have one or more risk factors for a heart attack, consult your doctor about whether you should take aspirin to help prevent a heart attack. Remember that unconscious use of aspirin may cause negative consequences such as stomach bleeding.”
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