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Emergency Procedures for a Heart Attack

A heart attack is an event that is both painful and frightening, but there are several emergency procedures that can be performed. Emergency medical attention is crucial. An ambulance may be called or the sufferer may be driven to the hospital, but she should not take the risk of driving alone. Implementing emergency procedures within the first few hours of a heart attack is critical for survival.

  1. Angioplasty

    • Angioplasty is also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). An angioplasty opens up the coronary artery blockage that caused the heart attack. For an angioplasty, a catheter is needed, which has a very small balloon at the end. This balloon in turn has a stent around it, which is a small mesh tube. During the procedure, the catheter is inserted into a leg artery and moved up into the blocked coronary artery. The balloon is inflated for a few seconds to clear the blockage. When the balloon deflates, the stent remains in the artery to ensure it stays open and blood can flow freely. An angioplasty is performed at a hospital as soon as possible after the heart attack victim arrives. The more time that passes before performing this procedure, the less helpful it becomes.

    Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

    • Bypass surgery, or "open heart surgery," is not as common as an angioplasty during a heart attack. In this procedure, the blocked artery is bypassed with an artery or vein from elsewhere in the body. This new artery is grafted below the blocked section of the old artery and attached to the aorta. This artery becomes a new passageway for blood leading from the heart. Coronary artery bypass surgery is not often performed during a heart attack, but may be done after the attack once the patient has recovered sufficiently.

    Medication

    • In addition to the emergency procedures of angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery, certain medications may be administered at the hospital to someone having a heart attack. These medications include aspirin, thrombolytics (also known as "clot busters"), beta blockers and nitroglycerin. Medication given to a heart attack sufferer can perform several functions, including thinning blood, lowering cholesterol and decreasing blood pressure.

    Be Informed

    • Knowing the symptoms of a heart attack improve a person's chance of survival. Heart attacks are not always as dramatic as they are on television shows or in movies. You usually feel pain in your chest that is described as heaviness, fullness or pressure. This feeling lasts for several minutes. The pain may also extend into your back, shoulder, arm or jaw area. You may feel dizzy, short of breath, nauseated or clammy.

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