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7/29/2019 Abbott-Patient Bkt 1-Life After MI_WEB

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LIFE AFTER MI

How to look ater yoursel

ater youve had a heart attack(myocardial inarction)

www.heartattacktreatment.co.uk


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Lie ater MI

I you are reading this booklet ater suering a heart attack, congratulations you are

a survivor!

The experience o having a heart attack can be rightening, and even ater leaving

hospital many people eel worried about the uture. But there is a great deal you can

do to get back to normal lie, and many orms o sel deence you can take to keep

yoursel healthy or years to come.

This booklet explains what youve been through, what you can do rom now on to

look ater yoursel, and why its important to take your treatment.

More and more people are surviving heart attacks thanks to improvements in medical

care. You now have a second lease o lie so or the sake o yoursel, your amily

and your riends, make the most o it!

What happens during a heart attack?A heart attack is the common name or what doctors call a myocardial inarction

(or MI). This occurs when the blood supply to the heart is blocked, causing part o

the heart to be damaged.

The heart is a pump, made out o muscle, which sends blood around the body to

supply the cells and organs with oxygen and nutrients.

It is a very ecient and reliable pump, as it is designed to work non-stop or the

whole o your lie.


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But the heart itsel is also an organ which needs

blood to keep it working. The blood is supplied

by the coronary arteries vessels which encircle

the heart.

A heart attack occurs when the blood fow through

the coronary arteries stops completely. This is

usually caused by a clot (a solidied plug o blood).

I the fow is blocked or a long time the heart

suers an inarction (which means an area o

muscle is so starved o blood and oxygen that it

dies). In severe cases the person may die too.

The classic symptoms o a heart attack are a severe pain or crushing eeling in the

chest, which may spread down the arm, but not everyone experiences this. Some

people eel nausea, breathlessness, exhaustion, pain in the stomach or jaw, and they

may eel clammy and sweat prousely. I you have suered a heart attack, you will

know how you elt! However, some people have only mild symptoms like heartburn or

wind, and some have no symptoms at all (silent

MI). This is more common in the elderly and in

people with diabetes.

It is important to recognise the symptoms o a

heart attack because the rst hour ater it happens

is a crucial period (sometimes known as thegolden hour) when treatment is most eective.

The heart is a pump which

beats over 2.5 billion

times during an average

persons lifetime

The golden hour

immediately after a heart attack

is the most vital time to act


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A heart attack can be conrmed by an electrocardiograph or ECG a machine with

leads that are attached to the chest to monitor the heart and by blood tests.

People who have suered a heart attack are usually admitted rapidly to hospital and

treated with a variety o medicines including a thrombolytic or clot busting drug,

which dissolves the blood clot and helps clear the blockage. In some hospitals the

clot may be removed by angioplasty. This is where a very ne tube (or catheter)

is put into the coronary artery (usually via the groin) and a small balloon is infated to

widen the artery, then defated so blood can fow to the heart again. Astent (rigid

tube) may be let in place aterwards to keep the artery open.

Many people recover rom a heart attack and are discharged rom hospital with no

complications, but some people need surgery (such as a coronary artery bypass

operation, in which the damaged arteries are by-passed), and some develop heart

ailure because the heart is not able to pump as eciently as beore. Abnormal heart

rhythms may occur i the electrical activity o the heart is aected, and this may result

in ventricular fbrillation (ast, uncontrolled heart beats) which is usually treated with

an electrical shock delivered by a machine called a defbrillator.

Beore leaving hospital you will be thoroughly investigated to assess your health.

These tests may include an echocardiogram (which shows how well the heart

muscle is pumping), an exercise test (which shows i the heart muscle is getting

enough oxygen, and whether there are any electrical changes when walking or

running on a treadmill), and blood tests (which measure your levels ocholesterol,

blood sugar, homocysteine an indicator o heart disease and how well yourkidneys are working).


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Why did it happen to me?

A heart attack can happen to anyone, but your chance o suering a heart attack is

increased i you have any o the ollowing risk actors:

Smoking

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension)

High cholesterol

Lack o exercise

A stressul job or liestyle

A bad diet, high in saturated ats

Overweight or obesity

Drinking too much alcohol

Diabetes is also a major risk actor, caused by too much sugar in the blood. People

with diabetes can lower their risk o a heart attack by controlling their blood sugar,

lipids (e.g. cholesterol) and blood pressure.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) occurs when the

blood vessels become narrower due to a build-up

o atty deposits (known as atheroma).

This restricts the fow o blood to the coronary

arteries, and when the heart has to work harder

during exercise or stress, not enough blood gets

through to supply the heart muscle. This causes a

pain in the chest known as angina.

View through a blood vessel,

showing the build-up of fatty

deposits inside the walls


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Angina usually subsides i you rest or take medication, but it can be the warning

sign o an oncoming heart attack. Other names or CHD include ischaemic heart

disease (IHD) and coronary artery disease (CAD). For more information, see the

booklet on Living with Coronary Heart Disease.

All o these risk actors can be changed by treatment or by modiying your behaviour.

You are also at higher risk i you have a amily history o heart disease, i you are a

man, or i you belong to certain ethnic groups (such as South Asian) but these are

not actors you can modiy. The message is simple: to prolong your lie, change your

liestyle.

Can it happen again?

Ater a heart attack, many people recover well and go on to live normal, active lives.

However, people who have had a heart attack are at increased risk o another one,

because the actors listed above may still be present, and their heart may have been

weakened by the damage it has suered.

So it is especially important that you reduce your risk actors as ar as possible, and

are aware o the symptoms o a heart attack and phone or medical help immediately

i you suspect you are having one.

About ten per cent o people who have had a heart attack will have another one

within a year, but the risk drops to about three per cent every year ater that.

If you experience these symptoms call 999 immediately

Severe chest pain similar to angina, but more intense or longer lasting

Pain travelling up into the jaw, and down the let arm, or down both arms

Feeling sweaty, sick or aint


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What should I do to help mysel recover?

Most people who have survived a heart attack are given a rehabilitation programme

to ollow, which may include exercise classes, group therapy, stress management,

and advice on changing their liestyle.

The heart muscle begins to heal within a ew days o a heart attack, and most people

are discharged rom hospital ater 5 to 7 days. The damaged muscle turns to scar

tissue within 6 to 12 weeks, during which you should gradually increase your activity

levels. Exercise helps the heart to recover and improves wellbeing.

Always ollow the advice o your doctor or nurse regarding exercise. Dont exercisetoo vigorously, and tell them i you have any problems. Most people return to their

normal routine ater 6 to 12 weeks.

Here are some o the common questions people ask:

When should I return to work? This depends on how stressul and physical your

job is, and how serious your heart attack was. You should be ready ater about 6weeks, or 12 weeks i your job is more demanding.

Can I continue driving? Yes, when you eel condent, but try to avoid long journeys

and stressul driving conditions. The DVLA prohibits driving or 1 week ater a heart

attack in people who are successully treated by angioplasty, and 4 weeks in those

who dont have successul angioplasty. LGV/PCV drivers are prohibited or at least

6 weeks. See www.dvla.gov.uk or detailed inormation.

Can I resume my sex lie? Yes like any orm o exercise, sex is good or the

heart, but take things slowly at rst. I you can walk briskly up a fight o stairs without

suering problems, you should be capable o sex.


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How can I protect mysel in the uture?

Here are the most important steps you can take to improve your health and reduce

your risk o a uture heart attack:

Stop smoking

Stopping smoking can halve your risk o having a heart attack

within a year o quitting and halve your risk o getting lung

cancer within 10 years. As giving up is much easier said than

done, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist or help. They

can give you advice and inormation on nicotine replacement

therapy (gum or patches), prescription tablets, local NHS

stop-smoking groups and quit lines.

Lose weight if you need to

Work out your Body Mass Index by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height

in metres squared (BMI=kg/m2). Or use a website to calculate your BMI or you, e.g.

www.bdaweightwise.com/lose/lose_bmi.html (just enter your weight and height).

I your BMI is 25 or more you are overweight, and i it is over 30 you are obese. The

risk o heart disease is also greater in men with a waist measurement o more than 40

inches, and in women whose waist is more than 35 inches.

Losing weight is well worth while because it reduces the strain on your heart,

decreases your risk o diabetes, and eating a healthier diet brings benets in its own

right (see opposite).


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Eat a healthy diet

Eating a healthy diet can greatly reduce your chances o heart disease. Some o the

best ways to improve your diet are to:

Eat ood low in saturated at by having leaner and smaller cuts o meat and

lower at dairy products

Eat ood with a higher amount o unsaturated ats by using spread and oils

based on olive, sunfower, rapeseed and corn oil

Eat ood containing omega-3 ats ound in oily sh such as sardines, herring,

mackerel, trout and salmon and certain vegetable oils, such as linseed, faxseed,

walnut and rapeseed

Eat more ruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and pulses

Base meals around wholegrain starchy carbohydrates such as wholemeal

bread, cereals, rice, pasta and chapati

Eat less saltas this can raise blood pressure. Avoid adding salt at the table and

in cooking, and avoid eating salted peanuts and crisps

Soya products (soya milk, yoghurts and meat substitutes), plant stanols and sterols

(added to certain margarines, yoghurts and mini-drinks), oats, beans and nuts may

actively reduce cholesterol. Try and include more o these in your diet.

Fruit and vegetables Lean meat Saturated at


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Eating a healthy diet will also help to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides.

For more information, see the booklet on Lipids and Cholesterol Explained.

Drink alcohol in moderation

People who drink a small amount oalcohol appear to have a lower risk o

heart disease than those who dont drink

at all. But make sure you drink no more

than 21 units in a week (or 3-4 in a day)

i you are a man, and no more than 14

units in a week (or 2-3 in a day) i you are

a woman.

Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is recommended or most people who have had a heart attack, as

physical activity is good or the heart, and is a major way to reduce the risk o another

heart attack. But check with your doctor beore beginning an exercise programme.

Start o with a short walk each day, gradually increasing your distance i you eel OK.Then see i you can manage moderate exercise that gets you slightly out o breath

such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or dancing. Try taking the bus

instead o the car, and take the stairs instead o the lit or escalator. You should aim

or at least 30 minutes o moderate exercise on most days.

Remember your medication

Drug treatment is given to most patients, as medicines can reduce the risk o another

heart attack by as much as 25 per cent. The treatments oered may include aspirin

(to thin the blood), a beta-blocker (to slow the heart), anACE inhibitor (to reduce

blood pressure and treat heart ailure), a lipid-lowering drug such as a statin (to

reduce cholesterol and prevent atheroma) and an omega-3 atty acid preparation.

Some patients also receive medicines to treat abnormal heart rhythms or heart ailure.

One unit of alcohol isapproximately: One small glass

of wine (125ml, 9% alcohol by

volume) or half a pint of beer

(285ml, 4% alcohol by volume).

But remember that wine can be

as strong as 14%, and many bars

serve large glasses of wine

(175ml, around 2 units) as standard.


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Take control of diabetes

I you have diabetes it is especially important that you eat well and take medication i

necessary to control your blood sugar.

Take time to relaxLearn relaxation skills to help manage stress, anxiety and depression which can

contribute to CHD.

Listen to your heart and listen to your doctor!

Your heart may not be as strong as it was beore your heart attack, so watch out or

any signs that it is under strain. Try to ollow the advice provided by the doctor or

nurse, and make sure that you take all your medication as directed by your GP. You

may have to take some medicines or the rest o your lie, but remember that they aredesigned to make your lie as long and as ull as possible!

Where can I nd out more?

Your doctor or nurse should be the rst point o contact i you have questions about

your individual health. But i you want to nd out more about your condition, here are

some organisations which provide useul inormation in booklets or websites:

The British Heart Foundation (www.bh.org.uk)

Heart Helpline 0300 330 3311

H.E.A.R.T UK (www.heartuk.org.uk)

0845 450 5988

Bodytalk-Online (www.bodytalk-online.com)

For support in stopping smoking:

Quitline (www.quit.org.uk)

0800 002200

NHS Smoking Helpline (http://smokeree.nhs.uk/)

0800 022 4332

For support in weight loss:

British Dietetic Association Weight Wise website

(www.bdaweightwise.com)


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High Triglyceridesand Type 2 Diabetes

Lipids andCholesterol Explained

Caring ater aHeart Attack

Living with Coronary

Heart Disease

Healthy Eating ater

a Heart Attack

May 2011 OMA481b

Other booklets from Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd.

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