How are heart attacks treated?
The best way to limit the size of a heart attack is to restore the flow of blood to the heart muscle as fast as possible. There are two basic methods to do this. Because most heart attacks are caused by clots forming within the coronary artery, dissolving the clot quickly will restore blood flow. Drugs called thrombolytics are quite effective. The sooner these drugs are given, the quicker the blood flow will be restored. An alternative method involves the use of balloon angioplasty. This involves taking the heart attack victim promptly to the cardiac cath lab in the hospital. An angiogram is performed to show the blocked blood vessel leading to the heart attack. Then a balloon catheter is placed across the blockage and flow is restored. Sometimes a stent is placed to create a large channel. Smaller heart attacks, often those not producing significant abnormalities on the ECG are often treated with bed rest and blood thinners such as heparin as well as drugs to reduce the work the heart
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