Chest PainHeart Attack (Acute Myocardial Infarction) / Blood Clot - Coronary Angioplasty
The most recent and reliable information on chest pain produces the following conclusions:
- Chest Pain is always a medical urgency and its immediate and efficient diagnostic is an obligation.
- There is a double mortality in those persons with an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) who are returned home
- Coronary Angioplasty is the best treatment for myocardial infarction, unstable angina, chronic stable angina and silent ischemia.
Chest Pain is a very common symptom and can be caused by a coronary blockade.
The coronary blockade can cause pain in other parts of the body such as abdomen, back, neck, jaws, shoulder and arms.
It’s usual that many people, even medical doctors, minimize the relevance of chest pain.
Chest pain can be the manifestation of a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Chest pain can be caused by a heart attack (myocardial infarction), a serious illness with a very high mortality rate.
The most advanced and efficient treatment for myocardial infarction is to open the obliterated artery using instruments delivered to the occlusion through a catheter inserted in the very same artery in a procedure known as coronary angioplasty, this procedure should be performed by a very well trained interventional cardiologist (a specialist in invasive cardiology) and should be performed with the minimum possible delay.
Angina pectoris (Chest pain in general)
Sometimes the infarction diagnosis can’t be integrated and the pain may be caused by a situation called angina pectoris which can precede the infarction or death itself, the treatment of this condition should be an intensive one and very similar to that of the infarction and very often is necessary to perform a coronary angioplasty.
What you should do and demand when having chest pain:
- Go immediately to a hospital with a 24 hour emergency department.
- Always prefer hospitals with a 24 hours available cath lab (a room equipped for cardiac catheterization procedures)
- A non delayed diagnosis should be performed in the emergency room, based on a brief interrogatory, physical exam, laboratory studies and Electrocardiogram.
- When infarction is confirmed, it should be treated immediately
- If any doubt exists on the diagnosis, the inpatient must not be discharged and further studies should be performed
With the correct and prompt treatment of the myocardial infarction and angina, the following can be achieved:
- Good prognosis on both short and long term
- Early return to normal activities
- Minimum restrictions on daily life
- Less probability of suffering this illness again
