Every year, tens of thousands of Americans survive heart attack, go back to work and

enjoy a normal life. You have every reason to be confident of a full recovery. Your heart is
healing

and

with

each

passing

day

you'll

get

stronger

and

more

active.

The following questions and answers will help you better understand what has happened to
you and how you get started on the road to recovery.
What is a heart attack? Your heart muscle needs oxygen to survive. A heart attack
occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut
off completely (View an animation of blood flow). This happens because coronary arteries
that supply the heart muscle with blood flow can slowly become narrrow from a buildup of
fat, cholesterol and other substances that together are called plaque. This slow process is
known asatherosclerosis . When a plaque in a heart artery breaks, a blood clot forms around
the plaque. This blood clot can block the blood flow through the heart muscle. When the
heart muscle is starved for oxygen and nutrients, it is called ischemia. When damage or death
of part of the heart muscle occurs as a result of ischemia, it is called a heart attack or
myocardial infarction (MI). About every 34 seconds, someone in the United States has a
myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Why didn't I have any warning?Atherosclerosis has no symptoms. One reason there
may be no warning signs is that sometimes when a coronary artery becomes narrowed, other
nearby vessels that also bring blood to the heart sometimes expand to help compensate. The
network of expanded vessels is called collateral circulation and helps protect some people
from heart attacks by getting needed blood to the heart. Collateral circulation can also
develop after a heart attack to help the heart muscle recover.
Is my heart permanently damaged?When a heart attack occurs, the heart muscle that
has lost blood supply begins to suffer injury. The amount of damage to the heart muscle
depends on the size of the area supplied by the blocked artery and the time between injury
and treatment. Damage to the heart muscle from a heart attack heals by forming scar tissue. It
usually takes several weeks for your heart muscle to heal. The length of time depends on the
extent of your injury and your own rate of healing. The heart is a very tough organ. Even
though a part of it may have been severely injured, the rest keeps working. But because your
heart has been damaged, it may be weaker and can't pump as much blood as usual. However,
with proper treatment after a heart attack and lifestyle changes, further damage can be limited
or prevented. Learn more about heart damage detection.

Will I recover from my heart attack?The answer is most likely yes. The heart muscle
begins to heal soon after a heart attack and usually takes about eight weeks. Scar tissue may
form in the damaged area, and that scar tissue does not contract or pump as well as healthy
muscle tissue. That means that extent of damage to the heart muscle can impact how well the
heart pumps blood throught the body. The degree of loss of function depends on the size and
location of the scar tissue. Most heart attack survivors have some degree of coronary artery
disease (CAD) and will have to make important lifestyle changes and possibly take
medication to prevent a future heart attack and lead a full, productive life
Is all chest pain a heart attack?No. One very common type of chest pain is called
angina, or angina pectoris. It's a recurring discomfort that usually lasts only a few minutes.
Angina occurs when your heart muscle doesn't get the blood supply and oxygen that it needs.
The difference between angina and a heart attack is that angina attacks don't permanently
damage the heart muscle. Often angina occurs during exercise or emotional stress when your
heart rate and blood pressure increase and your heart muscle needs more oxygen. Learn
about unstable angina.
What are the different medical terms for a heart attack? Myocardial infarction The
damaging or death of an area of the heart muscle (myocardium) resulting from a blocked
blood

supply

to

that

area;

medical

term

for

heart

attack.

Coronary thrombosis Formation of a clot in one of the arteries that conduct blood to the
heart

muscle.

Also

called

coronary

occlusion.

Coronary occlusion An obstruction of a coronary artery that hinders blood flow to some
part of the heart muscle.
Are there other causes of heart attack besides blockage? Sometimes a coronary artery
temporarily contracts or goes into spasm. When this happens the artery narrows and blood
flow to part of the heart muscle decreases or stops. We're not sure what causes a spasm. A
spasm can occur in normal-appearing blood vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked by
atherosclerosis. A severe spasm can cause a heart attack. Spontaneous coronary artery
dissection is the result of spontaneous tearing in the coronary artery wall.

Is a heart attack the same as cardiac arrest?No. But a heart attack can cause a cardiac
arrest. Heart attacks are caused by a blockage that stops blood flow to the heart. Cardiac
arrest is caused when the heart's electrical system malfunctions. In cardiac arrest (also called
sudden cardiac death or SCD), death results when the heart suddenly stops working properly.
This is caused by abnormal, or irregular, heart rhythms (called arrhythmias). The most
common arrhythmia in cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. This is when the heart's lower
chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and don't pump blood. Death occurs within
minutes after the heart stops. Cardiac arrest may be reversed if CPR (cardiopulmonary
resuscitation) is performed and a defibrillator is used to shock the heart and restore a normal
heart

rhythm

within

few

minutes.

6 Symptoms of Women's Heart Attacks

When a heart attack strikes, it doesnt always feel the same in women as it does in men.
Women don't always get the same classic heart attack symptoms as men, such as crushing
chest pain that radiates down one arm. Those heart attack symptoms can certainly happen to
women, but many experience vague or even silent symptoms that they may miss.
Recommended Related to Heart Disease
Cardiac Stents Overview
Stents are small expandable tubes used to treat narrowed or weakened arteries in the body. In
patients with coronary heart disease, caused by the buildup of plaque, stents are used to open
narrowed arteries and help reduce symptoms such as chest pain (angina) or to help treat a
heart attack. These types of stents are commonly called heart stents, but they're also referred
to as cardiac stents or coronary stents. Usually made of metal mesh, heart stents are
implanted in narrowed coronary arteries...
These six heart attack symptoms are common in women:
1. Chest pain or discomfort. Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom, but
some women may experience it differently than men. It may feel like a squeezing or
fullness, and the pain can be anywhere in the chest, not just on the left side. It's
usually "truly uncomfortable" during a heart attack, says cardiologist Rita Redberg,

MD, director of Womens Cardiovascular Services at the University of California,

San Francisco. "It feels like a vise being tightened."
2. Pain in your arm(s), back, neck, or jaw. This type of pain is more common in women
than in men. It may confuse women who expect their pain to be focused on their chest
and left arm, not their back or jaw. The pain can be gradual or sudden, and it may wax
and wane before becoming intense. If you're asleep, it may wake you up. You should
report any "not typical or unexplained" symptoms in any part of your body above
your waist to your doctor or other health care provider, says cardiologist C. Noel
Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at CedarsSinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
3. Stomach pain. Sometimes people mistake stomach pain that signals a heart attack
with heartburn, the flu, or a stomach ulcer. Other times, women experience severe
abdominal pressure that feels like an elephant sitting on your stomach, says
cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for
Womens Health at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.
4. Shortness of breath, nausea, or lightheadedness. If you're having trouble breathing for
no apparent reason, you could be having a heart attack, especially if you're also
having one or more other symptoms. "It can feel like you have run a marathon, but
you didn't make a move," Goldberg says.
5. Sweating. Breaking out in a nervous, cold sweat is common among women who are
having a heart attack. It will feel more like stress-related sweating than perspiration
from exercising or spending time outside in the heat. "Get it checked out" if you don't
typically sweat like that and there is no other reason for it, such as heat or hot flashes,
Bairey Merz says.
6. Fatigue. Some women who have heart attacks feel extremely tired, even if they've
been sitting still for a while or haven't moved much. "Patients often complain of a
tiredness in the chest," Goldberg says. "They say that they can't do simple activities,
like walk to the bathroom.