Medication
Ten home remedies for heart pain
- Almonds. When acid reflux is to blame for the heart pain, eating a few almonds or drinking a cup of almond milk may help.
- Cold pack. A common cause of heart or chest pain is a muscle strain. ...
- Hot drinks. ...
- Baking soda. ...
- Garlic. ...
- Apple cider vinegar. ...
- Aspirin. ...
- Lie down. ...
- Ginger. ...
- Turmeric milk. ...
Procedures
What to do if you or someone else may be having a heart attack
- Call 911 or your local medical emergency number. ...
- Chew and swallow an aspirin, unless you are allergic to aspirin or have been told by your doctor never to take aspirin. ...
- Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed. ...
- Begin CPR if the person is unconscious. ...
Therapy
Strengthen Your Immune System with a Nutrient-Dense Diet
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Include a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit in your diet, aiming to fill half your plate with fresh produce at every meal. ...
- Limit salt intake. ...
- Watch how much potassium you’re getting. ...
- Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake. ...
What are home remedies for heart attack?
The research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that colchicine may be used as an addition to standard therapy used for treating people who have suffered from a heart attack. The standard therapies usually include the use of statins for lowering “bad” cholesterol.
What is the emergency treatment for a heart attack?
How to cause a heart attack naturally?
How do you cure a heart attack?
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How do you stop a heart attack immediately?
Anyone who suspects they or someone they are with is having a heart attack should act fast by taking the following steps:Call 911. ... Take an aspirin. ... Take any prescribed chest pain medication. ... Open the door. ... Rest in a comfortable position and wait for the ambulance to arrive. ... Loosen tight clothing.
What is the first aid treatment for heart attack victims?
First AidHave the person sit down, rest, and try to keep calm.Loosen any tight clothing.Ask if the person takes any chest pain medicine, such as nitroglycerin for a known heart condition, and help them take it.More items...
How do you survive a heart attack alone?
What should you do if you are alone and have a heart attack?Call 911 The most important thing to do when you suspect a heart attack is to call emergency medical services. ... Consider contacting someone to come over immediately. ... Chew on aspirin. ... Do not attempt to drive. ... Remain calm. ... Lie down.More items...
Should I take aspirin for a heart attack?
Aspirin won't treat your heart attack by itself. After you call 911, the 911 operator may recommend that you take an aspirin. He or she can make sure that you don't have an allergy to aspirin or a condition that makes using it too risky.
What to do after a heart attack?
Having a heart attack is scary, and you might wonder how it will affect your life and whether you'll have another one. Fear, anger, guilt and depression are all common after a heart attack. Discussing them with your doctor, a family member or a friend might help.
How to prevent heart attack?
Exercise. Regular exercise helps improve heart muscle function after a heart attack and helps prevent a heart attack. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. Maintain a healthy weight.
How does an echocardiogram help?
An echocardiogram can help identify whether an area of your heart has been damaged. Coronary catheterization (angiogram). A liquid dye is injected into the arteries of your heart through a long, thin tube (catheter) that's fed through an artery, usually in your leg or groin, to the arteries in your heart.
How long does it take to recover from a cardiac rehab?
Most hospitals offer programs that might start while you're in the hospital and continue for weeks to a couple of months after you return home. Cardiac rehabilitation programs generally focus on four main areas — medications, lifestyle changes, emotional issues and a gradual return to your normal activities.
How long does it take to recover from a heart attack?
If possible, however, you might have bypass surgery after your heart has had time — about three to seven days — to recover from your heart attack.
What is the best medicine for heart failure?
Beta blockers. These medications help relax your heart muscle, slow your heartbeat and decrease blood pressure, making your heart's job easier. Beta blockers can limit the amount of heart muscle damage and prevent future heart attacks. ACE inhibitors.
How is heparin given?
Heparin is given by IV or by an injection under your skin. Pain relievers. You might be given a pain reliever, such as morphine. Nitroglycerin. This medication, used to treat chest pain (angina), can help improve blood flow to the heart by widening (dilating) the blood vessels. Beta blockers.
What to do if someone has a heart attack?
What to do if you or someone else may be having a heart attack 1 Call 911 or your local emergency number. Don't ignore the symptoms of a heart attack. If you can't get an ambulance or emergency vehicle to come to you, have a neighbor or a friend drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only if you have no other option. Because your condition can worsen, driving yourself puts you and others at risk. 2 Chew and swallow an aspirin while waiting for emergency help. Aspirin helps keep your blood from clotting. When taken during a heart attack, it could reduce heart damage. Don't take aspirin if you are allergic to it or have been told by your doctor never to take aspirin. 3 Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed. If you think you're having a heart attack and your doctor has previously prescribed nitroglycerin for you, take it as directed while waiting for emergency medical help. 4 Begin CPR if the person is unconscious. If the person isn't breathing or you don't find a pulse, begin CPR to keep blood flowing after you call for emergency medical help.#N#Push hard and fast on the center of the person's chest in a fairly rapid rhythm — about 100 to 120 compressions a minute. 5 If an automated external defibrillator (AED) is immediately available and the person is unconscious, follow the device instructions for using it.
How long does chest pain last after a heart attack?
Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or abdominal pain. A heart attack generally causes chest pain for more than 15 minutes. Some people have mild chest pain, while others have more-severe pain. The discomfort is commonly described as a pressure or chest heaviness, although some people have no chest pain or pressure at all.
How to do CPR if you are unconscious?
Begin CPR if the person is unconscious. If the person isn't breathing or you don't find a pulse, begin CPR to keep blood flowing after you call for emergency medical help. Push hard and fast on the center of the person's chest in a fairly rapid rhythm — about 100 to 120 compressions a minute.
How to treat heart attack with nitroglycerin?
If you think you're having a heart attack and your doctor has previously prescribed nitroglycerin for you, take it as directed while waiting for emergency medical help. Begin CPR if the person is unconscious . If the person isn 't breathing or you don't find a pulse, begin CPR to keep blood flowing ...
What does it mean when your chest hurts?
Pain or discomfort that spreads to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, jaw, teeth or occasionally upper abdomen. Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or abdominal pain. Shortness of breath. Lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting.
Why do you need to swallow aspirin?
Because your condition can worsen, driving yourself puts you and others at risk. Chew and swallow an aspirin while waiting for emergency help. Aspirin helps keep your blood from clotting. When taken during a heart attack, it could reduce heart damage.
What is the primary goal of treatment for a blocked artery?
Cardiac surgery. The primary goal of treatment is to quickly open the blocked artery and restore blood flow to the heart muscle , a process called reperfusion.
How is nitroglycerin used in heart attacks?
Nitroglycerin is the most common nitrate used in the treatment of heart attacks. It can be given sublingually (under the tongue), as a spray, as a paste applied over skin, and intravenously. Intravenous nitroglycerine has a rapid onset of action and is commonly used in the initial (first 48 hours) treatment of heart attacks. Nitroglycerine is a vasodilator (blood vessel expander), that opens arteries by relaxing the muscular wall of the artery. Nitroglycerine dilates coronary arteries as well as other blood vessels throughout the body. By dilating blood vessels, nitroglycerine lowers blood pressure, decreases the work that the heart must do to pump blood, lowers the demand by the heart for oxygen, prevents coronary artery spasm, improves blood flow to the heart muscle, and potentially minimizes the size of the heart attack. Nitroglycerine is especially helpful in patients with heart attacks who also have heart failure or high blood pressure.
How do antiplatelets work?
Antiplatelet agents are medications that prevent blood clots from forming by inhibiting the aggregation of platelets. Platelets are fragments of cells that circulate in the blood. Platelets begin the formation of blood clots by clumping together (a process called aggregation). Platelet clumps are then strengthened and expanded by the action of clotting factors (coagulants) that result in the deposition of protein (fibrin) among the platelets. Aggregation of platelets occurs at the site of any injury or laceration, but it also occurs at the site of rupture of cholesterol plaques in the walls of coronary arteries. Formation of clots at the site of an injury or laceration is desirable because it prevents excessive loss of blood, but formation of clots inside coronary arteries blocks the arteries and causes heart attacks.
What are the different types of antiplatelet agents?
There are three types of antiplatelet agents -- aspirin, thienopyridines, and the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors. These agents differ in their mode of action, antiplatelet potency, speed of onset of action, and cost. For more, please read the Aspirin and Antiplatelet Medications article.
How long does it take for a heart muscle to die?
If blood flow is not restored within 20 to 40 minutes, irreversible death of the heart muscle will begin to occur. Muscle continues to die for 6 to 8 hours at which time ...
What is the name of the death of a heart muscle?
Share Your Story. A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction or MI) is the death of heart muscle from the sudden blockage by a blood clot in a coronary artery that supplies blood to the heart. Blockage of a coronary artery deprives the heart muscle of blood and oxygen, causing injury to the heart muscle.
Is aspirin safe for heart attacks?
Numerous studies have shown that aspirin reduces mortality (by 25%) when given to patients with heart attacks. Aspirin is easy to use, safe at the low doses used for antiplatelet action, fast acting (with an onset of action within 30 minutes), and cheap.
What is the treatment for a heart attack?
This may include angioplasty and the use of thrombolytics or other priority medications for a heart attack.
What to do if you have a heart attack?
If you arrive at the hospital with a possible heart attack, medical personnel will immediately check your vital signs (pulse and blood pressure) and prepare to deal with any apparent life-threatening conditions, such as ventricular fibrillation . Treatment is started once a heart attack is suspected.
What is the procedure to unblock a STEMI?
One main treatment is a nonsurgical procedure called coronary angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Why do heart attacks need to be treated?
Heart attacks need to be urgently treated because the blockage of one of the coronary arteries that supplies blood to the heart causes an area of muscle to begin to die —and the longer blood flow is hindered, the more damage that occurs. Antonio_Diaz / Getty Images.
What is the name of the drug that breaks up blood clots?
This approach to treating an acute heart attack involves using medication to break up a blood clot. These powerful drugs, also known as thrombolytics or fibrinolytic agents, are only given in the event of a STEMI. 6 They are given intravenously and nicknamed "clot busters" because they do just that—dissolve blood clots that are in the process of forming.
Why are anticoagulants considered blood thinners?
Like antiplatelet drugs, anticoagulants are classified as blood thinners since they slow down your body’s ability to make clots. Given within the first 24 hours of an acute heart attack, a blood thinner helps prevent clotting in your arteries and may lower the risk of long-term mortality. 10
How long after a heart attack should you take beta blockers?
According to the American Heart Association, the beta-blockers most often prescribed after a heart attack are: 11 .
How to get help for a heart attack?
Call 911 or your local medical emergency number. Don't ignore or attempt to tough out the symptoms of a heart attack for more than five minutes. If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have a neighbor or a friend drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only as a last resort, and realize that it places you ...
What to do if you have a heart attack and you are unconscious?
You may be advised to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If you haven't received CPR training, doctors recommend skipping mouth-to-mouth rescue ...
How to deal with stress in your life?
Control stress. Reduce stress in your day-to-day activities. Rethink workaholic habits and find healthy ways to minimize or deal with stressful events in your life. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
How to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol?
Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight strains your heart and can contribute to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Eat a heart-healthy diet . Saturated fat, trans fats and cholesterol in your diet can narrow arteries to your heart, and too much salt can raise blood pressure.
How long does it take for a heart attack to cause chest pain?
A heart attack generally causes chest pain for more than 15 minutes, but it can also have no symptoms at all. Many people who experience a heart attack have warning signs hours, days or weeks in advance.
What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
Someone having a heart attack may experience any or all of the following: 1 Uncomfortable pressure, fullness or squeezing pain in the center of the chest 2 Discomfort or pain spreading beyond the chest to the shoulders, neck, jaw, teeth, or one or both arms, or occasionally upper abdomen 3 Shortness of breath 4 Lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting 5 Sweating 6 Nausea
Can a heart attack cause no symptoms?
Some of the major risk factors for heart attack — high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes — cause no symptoms early on. Your doctor can perform tests to check for these conditions and help you manage them, if necessary. Exercise regularly.
How to recover from a heart attack?
It will take time to recover from a heart attack, and you may not ever return to your previous level of health. Your doctor will encourage a healthy lifestyle. This would include a heart healthy diet, weight loss, cessation of smoking, increased exercise, and stress management.
Why do you take aspirin for a heart attack?
When a heart attack is suspected, taking an aspirin is recommended since many heart attacks are caused by a blood clot. Aspirin is a medication that helps to prevent further blood clotting.
What is the procedure for a heart attack?
If the heart attack is severe, the doctors may perform surgery. The most common emergency surgery doctors perform to treat heart attacks is percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). During PCI, doctors are able to see inside the arteries to look for the location of the blockage that’s causing the heart attack. Once that blockage is found, heart surgeons can take steps to treat it. Often, doctors will insert a stent to keep the artery open after the surgery.
What are some ways to reduce the risk of heart attack?
Statins to help control and lower blood cholesterol, which can reduce the chances of a future heart attack or stroke. Anti-arrhythmics to treat certain arrhythmias. Pain relievers. Medication to help reduce anxiety.
How soon can you give thrombolytic medication?
Thrombolytic medications, commonly known as clot busters – for best results, these should be given as soon as possible, definitely within a couple hours of the onset of the symptoms . Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which is more commonly known as angioplasty. Other treatments may be necessary as well.
What is the procedure to open a heart artery after a heart attack?
Another surgery often done after a heart attack is a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). This surgery helps restore blood flow to the heart muscle through the coronary arteries by routing blood vessels around the blocked area.
What to do if there is a defibrillator?
If there is a defibrillator around, have someone else run to get it while you administer CPR. Defibrillators are easy to use, and they all come with instructions. Some 911 operators may talk to you and tell you what to do. Learn more about Beaumont's Advancements in Heart Surgery and Recovery.
How long does it take to recover from a heart attack?
The initial rehabilitation period after a heart attack will most likely last between six and eight weeks. You should expect to be about 80% recovered by that time.
How to get over a heart attack?
If you’re overweight, talk to your doctor about a safe weight reduction plan. Talk to your doctor about whether a cardiac rehabilitation plan is right for you. Consider joining a support group for heart attack and heart surgery survivors.
Diagnosis
Treatment
Clinical Trials
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
Specialist to consult
Coping and Support
Preparing For Your Appointment
- Each minute after a heart attack, more heart tissue is damaged or dies. Urgent treatment is needed to fix blood flow and restore oxygen levels. Oxygen is given immediately. Specific heart attack treatment depends on whether there's a partial or complete blockage of blood flow.