Introduction
If a person has suffered a heart attack, it is important to act as quickly as possible so that the heart does not suffer permanent damage. After the occurrence of a heart attack, the affected coronary vessels can be reopened in a heart catheter laboratory using state-of-the-art methods. An important pillar of infarct therapy is the implantation of a stent that keeps vascular constrictions open. The importance of this therapy has grown in recent years, so that it is now performed very frequently.
The heart attack
A myocardial infarction is the death of myocardial cells, which occurs due to a reduced supply of cells. This is caused by a blockage of a coronary vessel, so that blood can no longer reach the heart muscle cells. A myocardial infarction occurs when a vessel with plaques on its inside due to arteriosclerosis is damaged and a blood clot forms, which either blocks the vessel at the same place or by floating with the blood in a thinner section of the vessel.
Typical symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain that can radiate into the (left) arm, lower jaw or abdomen and last for more than 20 minutes. It can also lead to symptoms such as vomiting or increased sweating. A heart attack can trigger ventricular fibrillation, whereupon resuscitation must be started immediately, even by laypersons.
An ECG, which then shows characteristic changes, also helps in the diagnosis of a heart attack. Since myocardial infarction is a life-threatening disease, it is important that immediate action is taken and that the blood supply to the affected heart muscles is restored by appropriate medical procedures. As part of the emergency care at the scene of the event, the emergency physician can already initiate a drug therapy to dissolve the blood clot.
If possible, it is advisable to bring the patient as soon as possible to a hospital with a cardiac catheterization laboratory, because here the coronary vessels can be examined and reopened by means of a catheter. Time plays a major role in the treatment of myocardial infarction. The faster the vessels are freed again, the fewer heart muscle cells die due to lack of oxygen.