Dr. Ashish Agrawal

What are the Common Symptoms of a Heart Attack?

Common symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or discomfort, pain or discomfort in one or both arms, jaw, neck, back, or stomach, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and lightheadedness. These symptoms can vary between individuals, and some people may experience a "silent" heart attack with few or no noticeable symptoms.

Chest Pain or Discomfort: This is the most common symptom and can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center of the chest. It may last for more than a few minutes, or it may come and go.

Pain or Discomfort in Other Areas: Pain or discomfort can radiate to one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

Shortness of Breath: This may occur with or without chest discomfort and can be a sign of reduced blood flow to the heart.

Sweating: Sudden, excessive sweating, especially with cold, clammy skin, can be a sign.

Nausea and Vomiting: Feeling sick to the stomach or throwing up can also occur.

Lightheadedness or Dizziness: Feeling faint or having a sudden loss of balance can be a warning sign.

Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired or weak, especially in women, can be a symptom.

Anxiety: Some individuals may experience a sense of impending doom or anxiety.

Preventive Measures for Heart Attack :
Quit Smoking :

Smoking : Significantly increases the risk of heart disease.

Quitting : Reduces the risk of heart attack within 24 hours of quitting and reduces the risk of heart disease to half that of a smoker within a year.

Limit Alcohol : No level of alcohol consumption is safe for health.

Stress Management :

Stress : Can contribute to unhealthy habits like overeating and lack of exercise.

Stress-reducing techniques : Yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and hobbies.

Sleep :
Aim for: 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

Tips : Create a bedtime routine, keep electronic devices out of the bedroom, and be physically active during the day.

2. MEDICAL MANAGEMENT:

Monitor : Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and diabetes.

Consult a cardiologist : If there's a family history of heart disease.

Regular Checkup : Prophylactic Tests like ECG, ECHO, Stress Test may help to detect disease early.

Follow :
Doctor's advice on medications for managing blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc.

What is 2D Echocardiogram?

An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a quick test to check the heartbeat. It records the electrical signals in the heart. Test results can help diagnose heart attacks and irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias.

Why it's done ?

An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is done to check the heartbeat. It shows how fast or how slow the heart is beating. ECG test results can help your care team diagnose :

Acute Heart Attack (Acute Coronary Syndrome)
Irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias.
A previous heart attack.

The cause of chest pain. For example, it may show signs of blocked or narrowed heart arteries.

An ECG also may be done to learn how well a pacemaker and heart disease treatments are working.

You may need an ECG, if you have :

Chest pain.
Dizziness, light headedness or confusion.
Pounding, skipping or fluttering heartbeat.
Fast pulse.
Shortness of breath.
Weakness or fatigue.
Reduced ability to exercise.
Hypertension
Family history of heart disease

A coronary angiogram is a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to see patient heart's blood vessels. The test is generally done to see if there's a restriction in blood flow going to the heart. The procedure is relatively pain free.

During a coronary angiogram, a type of dye that's is visible by X-ray machine is injected into the blood vessels of your heart. The X-ray machine rapidly takes a series of images (Angiograms), offering a look at your blood vessels.

Angiogram are performed in catheterization (Cath) lab of a hospital. It is a day care procedure, where admission is required and if the procedure is uneventful, patient is usually discharge on same day. An angiogram can show your cardiologist what's wrong with your blood vessels. It can :

• Show how many of your coronary arteries are block or narrowed by a fatty plaques (Atherosclerosis).
• Pinpoint where blockages are located in your blood vessels.
• Show how much blood flow is blocked through your blood vessels.
• Check the results of previous coronary bypass surgery / angioplasty.
• Check the blood flow through your heart and blood vessels.

A stress test, also known as an exercise stress test or cardiac stress test, is a diagnostic Procedure, that evaluates how well your heart functions when it's working harder, usually during physical stress / activity, simulating the demand of exercise.. It helps doctors assess your heart's response to increased demand and identify potential problems like reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. It can be used to diagnose heart conditions, assess the effectiveness of treatments, or evaluate your fitness level for exercise programs.

How it's done :
Exercise :
You'll typically walk on a treadmill while your heart activity is monitored using an electrocardiogram (ECG).

Pharmacological :
If you can't exercise, medication (Dobutamine) may be used to increase your heart rate and simulate the effects of exercise. Throughout the test, your heart rate, blood pressure, and ECG are closely monitored.

What it can show ?
• Reduced Blood Flow :
Stress tests can reveal if your heart muscle is receiving adequate blood flow, especially when under stress, which could indicate coronary artery disease.

• Heart Rhythm Abnormalities :
The test can detect irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) that may not be apparent at rest.

• Exercise capacity :
It provides information about your physical fitness and ability to tolerate exercise.

Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that opens arteries (large blood vessels) to let blood flow more easily. It most commonly treats atherosclerosis (a collection of plaque made of fat and cholesterol) in your arteries.

Angioplasty involves a tiny medical balloon that pushes plaque through in spots that are too narrow or blocked.

Angioplasties are generally safe procedures with minimum riskof complications. They're less invasive than other heart and vascular procedures, like bypass surgery.

Angioplasties are often necessary to try to prevent serious complications of atherosclerosis, like heart attack and stroke.

When might I need angioplasty ?
You may need angioplasty if you have :

A Heart Attack
Angioplasty may limit damage to your heart during or right after a heart attack. In this case, it's an emergency treatment.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Your coronary arteries make it possible for your heart to beat and pump blood throughout your body. A blocked coronary artery can cause chest pain and/or a heart attack.