When Your Heart Needs Care, St. Mary’s Cares For Your Heart
February 8, 2022
By: Mark Ralston
Categories: Heart Health
The faster you get to the hospital, the sooner treatment can begin.
Every aspect of your life depends on your heart, whether you want to run a marathon or share a laugh with your grandchild. Prevention is the best medicine, but anyone can develop heart and blood vessel disease. If you have signs or symptoms of trouble, don’t delay: Call 911 immediately.
Why is time so important?
The treatment for a heart attack is to reopen the clogged blood vessel causing it. This is a minimally invasive procedure done in a cardiac catheterization lab at the hospital. The longer it takes to start the procedure, the more heart tissue dies. When you call 911, EMS staff can begin preparing you for emergency care and alert the hospital they are on the way, which saves precious time.
How is the blockage treated?
The cardiologist uses a tiny balloon to open the clogged artery from the inside, then inserts a spring-like device called a stent to keep it open. This is done using x-ray guidance and long, flexible tubes called catheters that are inserted through a small incision in the wrist or groin. The procedure is called PCI, short for percutaneous coronary intervention. In some cases, open heart surgery may still be necessary. St. Mary’s provides PCI but not open heart procedures.
What are other treatments for heart disease?
Here are a few of the most common:
- Medication: Medicines can be used to control risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, rhythm disorders, blood clots and more.
- Electrophysiology: If you have a serious cardiac rhythm disorder (arrhythmia), this minimally invasive procedure can be used to diagnose and treat the tissue that is causing your heart’s electrical system to misfire.
- Devices: Pacemakers can set a healthy pace for hearts that beat too slowly. Implantable defibrillators can detect cardiac arrest and deliver a shock to restart the heart. And insertable loop recorders can monitor your heart for months or years to detect infrequent but potentially serious problems. See next week’s blogs for more on this topic.
- Cardiac rehab: This program provides lifestyle counseling, education, and monitored exercise to help your heart regain its maximum function after a heart attack or cardiac procedure.
- Wellness services: Smoking cessation, physical activity, diabetes and nutritional counseling, and ongoing supervision by your doctor can help prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease.
Symptoms of heart attack
- Chest pressure, squeezing, aching, or burning
- Pain that travels down one or both arms
- Feeling of fullness
- Jaw pain
- Excessive fatigue or weakness
- Anxiety
- Nausea or vomiting
- Back pain
- Shortness of breath
Women often experience milder and more generalized symptoms than men.
When symptoms arise, don’t wait: Call 911. Every minute counts.
Is treatment as effective as prevention?
No. During a heart attack, heart tissue starts dying within minutes. The faster you get to the hospital, the sooner treatment can begin. But some of that initial damage can’t be reversed.
What are ways to reduce my risk of a heart attack?
Treat high blood pressure
Your blood pressure should be around 120/80. If readings are consistently higher, talk to your doctor. High blood pressure can damage many organs – including your heart, brain and blood vessels.
Stop smoking/vaping
Smoking and vaping damage your blood vessels and heart. St. Mary’s offers the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking course to empower you to break free.
Eat a heart-healthy diet
Cut back on sugar, salt, and saturated fat (commonly found in red meats, ground meats, bacon, cheese, lard, butter, etc.) and eat more unsaturated fats (nuts, lean meat, tofu, vegetable protein, skim milk, etc.) as well as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. It can be a challenge to find new foods you like. Talking with a registered dietitian can help.
Be physically active
Find physical activities you enjoy and do them often. It may help to think “move my body” instead of “exercise.” Get a friend or family member to join you. You can support each other on those days when the couch looks too comfy.
Maintain a healthy weight
Talk to your doctor to get started. A referral to a nutritionist or registered dietitian can help. Beware of “miracle food” claims and fad diets, which can be lacking in vital nutrients or push you into harmful “yo-yo” cycles of weight loss and gain.
Control diabetes
Diabetes can damage your blood vessels, leading to problems such as heart disease, blindness, stroke, and wounds that won’t heal. By controlling your blood sugar, you can prevent or delay complications and enjoy a full, healthy life. St. Mary’s offers one-on-one diabetes management education.
See your doctor
This is the key to better health. Your primary care provider (PCP) can check you for high blood pressure and diabetes, help you quit smoking, refer you to specialists, prescribe medications, and provide guidance about nutrition, physical activity, and maintaining a healthy weight. St. Mary’s offers numerous primary care practices all across our region. If you don’t have a PCP, we can help with that, too.
Take medicines as prescribed
If you take too little medicine or take it at the wrong times, you may not be controlling risk factors the way you should. Similarly, taking too much medicine can cause serious harm. If you have questions about your medications, talk to your doctor.
A healthy heart powers a full life. When your heart needs care, St. Mary’s cares for your heart.