Vim & Vigor - Fall 2008 - North Denver - (Page 10)

when ra ci muscle the ticking clock When someone is having a heart attack, a portion of heart muscle is dying. This is often caused by a blocked blood vessel that interrupts blood ﬂow to the heart. Prompt restoration of blood ﬂow is the best way to reduce the chance of permanent damage or disability. “Because of some of the new treatments available today, we’re seeing many heart attacks that are essentially stopped in their tracks,” says Harlan Krumholz, M.D., a cardiologist and spokesman for the American College of Cardiology. “We can do tests on the heart a day or two later and it’s as if the heart attack never happened.” But even the best treatments can only do so much if someone waits too long to go to the hospital. That’s why it’s critical to know the signs of a heart attack. Sometimes the condition will make itself known with crushing chest pain that radiates down the left arm. At other times, there’s no chest pain at all, or the pain may come and go. The pain could feel like indigestion, or a sense of great discomfort or tightness anywhere from the jaw down to the stomach, in either arm or in the back. Symptoms may or may not be accompanied by nausea or sweating. Shortness of breath is another major warning sign, which may appear with pain or by itself. It’s essential to act quickly if other risk factors for a heart attack exist. These include being middle-aged or older, being overweight or a smoker, and having diabetes or high blood pressure. “Don’t try to outthink a heart attack— time really is muscle,” Yancy says. “Call 911 immediately so the treatment process can begin as soon as possible.” No matter how long it takes someone to reach a hospital, the treatment will be much the same. But it’s the outcome that can differ dramatically with the passage of time. ttack, a heart a ng to prevent permanent damage from t 10 wo men are brought into a hospital. They’re both having heart attacks, but the one called 911 at the ﬁrst sign of trouble, while the other waited six hours before ﬁnally seeking help. Although both men receive the same treatment at the hospital, their outcomes are going to be very different. The ﬁrst man will go home in about 72 hours, with little or no damage to his heart. Unfortunately, the second man sustained serious damage to his heart by waiting so long, putting him at signiﬁcantly increased risk for long-term cardiac problems including heart failure. “If a heart attack is happening, you can’t wish it away—you have to act as quickly as possible,” says Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., a cardiologist and national spokesman for the American Heart Association. “With quick intervention, your quality of life will be only minimally disrupted.” vim & vigor · fal l 2 008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2008 - North Denver

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2008 - North Denver Contents A Mission in Motion For Your Health Goal! Seeing Beyond Time Equals Muscle The Fiber Solution Prize Fighters On the Cover: Spreading the News I'm Glad I Had a... Tailor-Made Beyond the Bedside On Track Living the Good Life Little Kids, Big Decisions Zeroing In Right At Home Beating the Clock Community Connections Ask the Experts

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2008 - North Denver

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.