How to Treat Acute Myocardial Infarction
How to treat acute myocardial infarction? Acute myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack. Acute myocardial infarction occurs because the blood flow to the coronary arteries of the heart is narrowed, thereby depriving the heart muscle of oxygen and causing damage. In the cardiovascular system, coronary arteries are very important blood vessels. These vessels are in charge of flowing blood that carries oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle or myocardium.
Generally narrowing of the coronary arteries is caused by atherosclerosis or the buildup of plaques of LDL cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats on their inner walls. When the coronary arteries narrow, the blood flow to the heart muscle becomes reduced or can even stop instantly.
This causes the heart muscle to lack the oxygen supply needed to be able to carry out its duties. If this happens for a long time, then there can be permanent damage to the heart muscle.
Also read articles about: How to Treat Acute Coronary Syndrome
Symptoms of Acute Myocardial Infarction
The main symptom of acute myocardial infarction is chest pain that does not go away despite rest. In addition, other symptoms that may appear are cold sweats, heart palpitations, dizzy, nausea, vomiting, and coughing.
However, each person may experience different symptoms of acute myocardial infarction, depending on the severity of the damage to the heart muscle. In certain cases there are also patients who feel that the symptoms of a heart attack they experience feel like flu symptoms.
Risk Factors for Acute Myocardial Infarction
Acute myocardial infarction can occur in anyone, both men and women. Some of the factors that can increase the risk of acute myocardial infarction are as follows:
- Already elderly, for men over 45 years old and women over 55 years old
- Have had a previous acute myocardial infarction
- Have a family history of acute myocardial infarction
- Having high blood pressure, so it can accelerate the occurrence of plaque buildup and damage to arteries
- Suffering from diabetes, because high blood sugar levels can trigger plaque buildup and damage blood vessels
- Have high levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides
- Often consume high-fat and high-calorie foods, such as fried foods and fast food
- Lack of exercise
- Being overweight or obese
- Smoke
In addition, people who suffer from prolonged stress, women with a history of preeclampsia or hypertension during pregnancy, women who experience early menopause, may also be at risk for acute myocardial infarction.
How to Manage Acute Myocardial Infarction
The best way to treat acute myocardial infarction is to stop doing activities and immediately contact the nearest hospital for help.
What is the standard treatment for an acute myocardial infarction? Actions that can be performed at the hospital include PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) or angioplasty and the administration of medications used to treat acute myocardial infarction, namely medicines to relieve the work of the heart and save the heart muscle.
The success rate of treatment of acute myocardial infarction is highly time dependent. The sooner the treatment is carried out, the more likely it is that the heart muscle can be saved. Conversely, if the treatment is late, then the damage to the heart muscle can be widespread and can lead to heart failure or even death.
How to Prevent Acute Myocardial Infarction
How to prevent acute myocardial infarction is to adopt a healthy lifestyle such as eating a balanced nutritious diet, avoiding the consumption of foods high in sugar, high in fat, and high in calories. For those of you who smoke, start quitting smoking and do regular exercise to maintain a healthy heart and maintain an ideal body weight.
In addition, if you have a condition that can increase your risk of developing an acute myocardial infarction, take the medicines your doctor gives you regularly. Visit your doctor according to the control schedule, so that your heart health can always be monitored, especially if you have previously had an acute myocardial infarction.
That's an explanation of how to treat acute myocardial infarction. If you feel symptoms of chest pain that do not improve and are accompanied by other symptoms that point to an acute myocardial infarction, then immediately go to the hospital so that you can get the right treatment immediately.
