MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: WHAT IS IT, SYMPTOMS, CONSEQUENCES, TREATMENT

Myocardial infarction is a serious disease that has many dangerous complications. For this reason, it is so important to be able to recognize the symptoms of pathology in time.

Risk factors for myocardial infarction

There are several factors that significantly increase the risk of developing this condition:

Atherosclerosis. Disruption of lipid metabolism, during which atherosclerotic plaques form on the walls of blood vessels, is the main risk factor for the development of this condition.
Age. The risk of developing pathology increases after 45 years.
Floor. According to statistics, in women this condition occurs almost 2 times more often than in men, especially the risk of developing heart attack in women during menopause.
Hypertension. People who suffer from this disease, have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, because during the increase in blood pressure increases the need for oxygen in the myocardium.
A previous heart attack, even small focal, increases the risk.
Smoking. This addiction disrupts the work of many systems and organs. In chronic nicotine intoxication, the coronary arteries narrow, resulting in an insufficient supply of oxygen to the myocardium. And here we are talking not only about active smoking, but also about passive.
Obesity and hypodynamia. During the violation of fat metabolism, the development of atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension is accelerated, the risk of diabetes increases. Lack of physical activity also adversely affects the metabolism, which is one of the reasons for the accumulation of extra pounds.
Diabetes. Patients who suffer from this pathology have a high risk of myocardial infarction, and all because elevated glucose levels have a detrimental effect on the walls of blood vessels, hemoglobin, because its transport function is deteriorating.

The main symptoms of myocardial infarction

This acute condition has very specific symptoms, and they are so pronounced that they rarely go unnoticed. However, one should also remember about the atypical forms of this pathology.

Symptoms in typical form

In the overwhelming majority of cases, patients have a typical painful form of heart attack, due to which doctors can diagnose the disease in time and begin treatment.

The main symptom is severe pain that occurs during myocardial infarction, most often localized behind the sternum. It is burning, cutting. Can give in the left hand, jaw, interscapular area. The emergence of this symptom is not always preceded by the load, pain may occur in the rest period.

The described symptom is also observed with an attack of angina, but they also have some differences. Unlike angina pectoris, the pain during a heart attack lasts more than half an hour, it is not stopped when taking Nitroglycerin. It should be noted that if a painful attack lasts more than 15 minutes, and the measures taken are ineffective, it is necessary to call the ambulance team.

Atypical form

Myocardial infarction, which occurs in an atypical form, can cause difficult diagnosis and diagnosis

Gastritis option

The pain that occurs in this form of pathology resembles the pain during exacerbation of gastritis, most often formed in the stomach. On examination, the doctor may observe the tension of the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall. Most often, this pathology occurs when the lower parts of the ventricle adjacent to the diaphragm are affected.

Asthmatic option

Reminds a severe attack of bronchial asthma. The patient suffocation, strong cough, and there is no typical pain. In severe cases, pulmonary edema may develop. During the examination, the doctor reveals a heart rhythm disturbance, a decrease in pressure, and the appearance of wheezing in the lungs. Most often, this form of pathology occurs with repeated myocardial infarction or against the background of severe cardiosclerosis.

Arrhythmic variant

This form of the disease manifests itself in the form of arrhythmias. Myocardial infarction and electrocardiogram is masked as a heart rhythm disorder.

Cerebral variant

It is characterized by circulatory disorders in the vessels of the brain. Patients with this form of pathology complain of dizziness, pain in the head, vomiting, weakness, confusion.

Worn or painless form

This form of heart attack most often has the most difficult diagnosis. The pain may be completely absent, the patient complains of a slight discomfort in the chest, increased sweating. This form of the disease most often occurs in those who suffer from diabetes, is quite difficult. Often in the clinical picture of myocardial infarction there are additional symptoms of various other diseases. In this case, the forecast is rather unfavorable.

Features of treatment

When a severe burning pain in the heart appears, the patient needs to take a half-sitting position, dissolve the Nitroglycerin tablet under the tongue. Myocardial infarction can be suspected if:

burning pain lasts more than 10 minutes;
the intensity of the pain does not decrease at rest even after repeated administration of Nitroglycerin;
the pain is accompanied by severe weakness, nausea, headache and dizziness.

If there is a suspicion of a heart attack, you must immediately call an ambulance and begin to assist the patient. The sooner it is provided, the more favorable the forecast.

First you need to reduce the load on the heart, for which the patient is placed on a raised headboard. It is necessary to open the vents and doors to ensure the flow of fresh air. It is also important to calm the patient down by giving him some sedatives. Also, the patient must be given a crushed Nitroglycerin tablet and one Aspirin tablet.

If there are beta-blocker drugs on hand, such as Atenolol or Metoprolol, also give one pill.

To reduce the intensity of the pain, use Analgin, Pentalgin, and so on. Additionally, the patient can be given 50-60 drops of Corvalol.

If there is a suspicion of cardiac arrest, for example, with loss of consciousness, absence of reactions to other stimuli, it is necessary to begin resuscitation measures as soon as possible, that is, an indirect heart massage and artificial respiration.

Medicaid at the prehospital stage

The main task in treating patients is to restore and maintain blood circulation in the affected area as quickly as possible. The health and life of the patient is largely dependent on help at the prehospital stage.

One of the important tasks facing the doctor is to relieve a painful attack, because as a result, the stress on the heart increases, the need for myocardium for oxygen increases, which further aggravates the patient's condition. Often, narcotic analgesics are used to relieve chest pain; Morphine is most often used at the prehospital stage. If the anesthetic effect is insufficient, then intravenous administration of nitropreparations or beta-blockers is carried out.

The second important task is the restoration of coronary blood flow. In the absence of contraindications, the doctor may start a thrombolysis in an ambulance. However, this procedure is not suitable for all patients, only a doctor can determine the evidence, based on the results of the electrocardiogram taken.

The effectiveness of this measure depends on the timing of the procedure, the thrombolytic drugs administered in the first hours after the attack increase the likelihood of the blood flow to return.

The decision to conduct this procedure depends on the time factor. The introduction of the drug begins the ambulance doctor, if the patient is transported for more than half an hour.

Inpatient treatment

When the first symptoms of the patient appear, you should be sent to the hospital as soon as possible. The best method of restoring blood flow is an immediate surgical intervention, during which a stent is inserted.

Stenting is also required in the first hours after the onset of the attack. In some cases, the only way to save the heart muscle is urgent coronary artery bypass surgery.

Patients with this pathology should be hospitalized in the intensive care unit or intensive care unit, where with the help of special drugs, doctors can regularly monitor the patient's condition.

In the treatment of this pathology, a large number of groups of drugs are used, since the treatment of a heart attack requires several tasks to be solved at once:

Prevent blood clots and thin the blood. This is achieved by drugs from the group of anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents.
Limit the area of myocardial damage by reducing the oxygen demand of the heart muscle. For this purpose, the drugs of the group of beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors are used.
To reduce pain, for which non-narcotic or narcotic analgesics are used, nitropreparations also have an antianginal effect - they reduce the need for oxygen and reduce the load on the heart.
To normalize the level of blood pressure, the patient is prescribed antihypertensive drugs.
In case of cardiac arrhythmias, antiarrhythmic drugs are prescribed.

Not all groups of drugs that are used in this pathology are listed. The chosen treatment regimen depends on the patient's condition, the presence of comorbidities, and many other factors. Therefore, treatment should be carried out only by a doctor. Self-medication can cause death.

How is rehabilitation going?

Restorative procedures begin from the first days after myocardial infarction. The main goal is to prevent the development of complications, restore the emotional state, mobilize the compensatory mechanisms of the body.

Rehabilitation should be comprehensive - cardiological and physical. The first type of rehabilitation is aimed at minimizing complications, it also helps the patient to recover, reduces the risk of recurrence. Recovery continues for a long time. A person may remain disabled for several years, and sometimes does not return to work at all.

For the rest of his life, a person needs to take complexes of drugs:

Aspirin or ticlopidine;
beta blockers;
lipid-lowering drugs;
angiotensin inhibitors.

Further, under the supervision of a specialist, the patient is prescribed physical activity. Over time, their intensity and duration should increase. Due to physical exercises, the level of oxygen in the blood increases, the heart muscle is trained. Recovery from myocardial infarction is impossible without dieting. In the patient's diet should not be fried, spicy, salty foods. She also recommends eliminating alcohol, strong tea, and coffee.

Herbal medicine during rehabilitation

Recipes:

Mix 50 g of wild rose berries, strawberry leaves. Pour 500 ml of boiling water, warm for 15 minutes in a water bath. Take a medical decoction of 100 ml 2 times a day.
Mix 20 g of motherwort, valerian root, raspberry. Grind, pour boiling water in a volume of 0.5 liters. The broth is heated on a water bath for 10 minutes, then filtered. Take a glass at night.
20 g of hawthorn, the same amount of valerian root is crushed, mixed, poured a glass of boiling water and left to infuse for 40 minutes. Take 100 ml of broth twice a day.
In a thermos lay two parts of flowers of tansy, immortelle, dandelion, roots of elecampane, 5 parts of Hypericum and sage. All components are brewed with boiling water in a volume of 500 ml, infused overnight. Take the finished decoction in three doses during the day.
You need to take 20 grams of yarrow, valerian, lemon balm, hop cones, pour a glass of boiling water and warm for 10 minutes in a water bath. Take 100 ml in the morning.

But remember that traditional treatment methods must be coordinated with the attending specialist to avoid complications.

Features of prevention

Prevention of this pathology is primary and secondary. The first is aimed at preventing the occurrence of myocardial infarction. Secondary - to prevent relapse in those who have already suffered a myocardial infarction. In addition, prevention is needed not only for those who suffer from cardiovascular pathologies, but also for healthy people. It comes down to the elimination of factors that increase the risk of such pathologies.

The main preventive measures include:

Body weight control. In overweight people, the load on the heart increases, there is a risk of diabetes and hypertension.
Regular physical load. Physical activity improves metabolism, promotes weight loss. Scientists have proven that regular exercise reduces the risk of recurrent myocardial infarction by 30%. A set of exercises should pick a doctor.
Rejection of bad habits. Studies have shown that smoking and alcohol increase the risk of developing these pathologies. People who do not want to give up harmful habits, the risk of a second heart attack increases by 2 times.
Control of the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood. All people aged 45 and over are recommended to regularly monitor lipid metabolism. And all due to the fact that atherosclerosis, which develops against the background of high cholesterol in the blood, is one of the causes of cardiovascular pathologies.
Pressure control With a persistent increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg. need to adjust it with medication. With this pathology, the load on the heart increases significantly.
Control blood sugar levels. It is necessary to identify violations of carbohydrate metabolism, prevent the development of diabetes, which also increases the risk of myocardial infarction.
Diet. It is necessary to limit the consumption of salt, foods that contain cholesterol and refractory fats. In the diet you need to include more vegetables, fruits that contain fiber, seafood.
Receiving funds that contain acetylsalicylic acid. For several decades, Aspirin has been used to prevent thrombosis or coronary disease.

But its long-term use can lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis, nausea, stomach pain. Therefore, a suitable drug should also be selected by a doctor. To reduce the risk of such undesirable effects, it is recommended to take drugs in a special enteric coating, for example, Thrombone ACC. This shell is resistant to the effects of hydrochloric acid of the stomach, dissolves in the intestine. Due to this, you can avoid direct contact of drugs with the mucous membrane of the stomach, reducing the risk of heartburn or ulcers.

What are the consequences of myocardial infarction?

With myocardial infarction, the consequences are divided into early and late. Early, that is sharp, include:

pulmonary edema;
acute heart failure;
thrombosis;
heart rhythm disorders;

Small focal infarction gives much less complications. Due to the fact that the left ventricle is most often affected, left ventricular failure may develop. At the same time, the patient has difficulty breathing in the form of dyspnea, when it is difficult for a person to breathe air.

To alleviate the condition, it is necessary to take a forced position of the body - sitting with a tilt forward. Often, against the background of left ventricular insufficiency pulmonary edema develops. The consequence of a heart attack may be the development of atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation. In such a situation, emergency medical care is also required.

If a heart attack has been diagnosed, which is masked as endocarditis, thrombosis can develop. When tearing or getting a blood clot in the blood vessels of the brain can develop a stroke. Long-term effects are observed much more often, but they are not so dangerous.

These include

arrhythmia;
pleurisy;
cardiosclerosis.

The latter occurs in almost 100% of patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction. This condition is associated with the formation of connective and scar tissue. With mild cardiosclerosis, there are no bright symptoms. But with diffuse cardiosclerosis, the contractility of the heart muscle may be impaired.

As a result, patients noted failures in the heart, a feeling of heartbeat. Cardiosclerosis is often combined with heart failure. If we talk about the complications in the period of the disease, they include: