Acute myocardial infarction due to smoking habits and warnings from experts

Duc Giang General Hospital has just successfully saved the life of a critically ill patient due to acute myocardial infarction using extracorporeal circulatory support (ECMO) technique.

Duc Giang General Hospital has just successfully saved the life of a critically ill patient due to acute myocardial infarction using extracorporeal circulatory support (ECMO) technique.

This is a typical case of acute myocardial infarction causing circulatory arrest, requiring prompt and timely intervention.

Duc Giang General Hospital received patient LHV (42 years old, taxi driver), with a history of many years of smoking addiction, admitted to the hospital with severe chest pain behind the sternum.

The electrocardiogram results showed that the patient had an acute myocardial infarction. Immediately after admission, the patient rapidly lost consciousness, became cyanotic, and the electrocardiogram recorded ventricular fibrillation.

The patient is being treated at a medical facility.

Doctors immediately performed electric shock and CPR. After 5 minutes, the patient regained a pulse and was intubated, invasively ventilated, and vasopressors were used to maintain blood pressure and control heart rate. However, the patient continued to lose consciousness and ventricular fibrillation, forcing doctors to perform electric shock and continuous cardiac compression.

After consultation, the doctors decided to apply the Artificial Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECMO VA) technique. With this method, doctors perform heart compressions and implant devices into large blood vessels to perform artificial heart-lung function.

After 90 minutes of combined cardiac compression, electric shock, and ECMO VA intervention, the patient underwent interventional coronary angiography, thrombectomy, and placement of 2 stents in the right coronary artery, the cause of circulatory arrest.

Although coronary intervention improved the condition, cardiac function had not fully recovered. The patient continued to require ECMO and continuous blood filtration due to multiple organ failure and severe metabolic acidosis.

During the course of treatment, the patient received 14 units of packed red blood cells, 6 units of fresh plasma and 4 units of packed platelets, promptly provided by the hospital's Hematology Department.

According to Dr. Tran Thi Oanh, Deputy Director, Head of the Department of Intensive Care - Anti-Poison, after 72 hours of treatment with ECMO, the patient's heart function has almost completely recovered, and hemodynamics are well maintained.

The patient was extubated and continued medical resuscitation for another 2 weeks. On December 16, 2024, patient LHV was discharged from the hospital in a conscious state and recovering well.

Dr. Oanh said that acute myocardial infarction with complications of circulatory arrest is a very dangerous situation.

LHV patients were given timely emergency care thanks to the harmonious coordination between many specialties and advanced techniques such as ECMO VA, cardiovascular intervention and continuous blood filtration.

This is a testament to the expertise and experience of the medical team at Duc Giang General Hospital in implementing advanced techniques, bringing life opportunities to many patients in the future.

Acute myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and smoking is a major risk factor contributing to its increased incidence.

Although many people are still not fully aware of the harmful effects of tobacco on cardiovascular health, scientific studies have shown that tobacco not only harms the lungs but also directly affects the circulatory system, leading to dangerous complications such as acute myocardial infarction.

When you smoke, your body absorbs a variety of toxic substances, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, carcinogenic compounds, and other impurities.

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, increasing blood pressure and heart rate, while carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen, damaging cells in the body, especially heart cells.

When blood vessels constrict due to the effects of nicotine, the ability to supply blood and oxygen to the heart is limited, increasing the risk of plaque formation in the arteries (atherosclerosis).

These plaques can rupture, blocking blood flow and leading to a heart attack – when part of the heart muscle doesn't get enough oxygen, causing serious damage or even death of the heart muscle.

A recent study found that smokers are twice as likely to develop heart disease as non-smokers. In addition, smoking increases the risk of recurrent heart attacks in patients who have already suffered from the condition.

Medical experts, especially cardiologists, warn that cigarettes are a "silent killer" of the cardiovascular system. Each cigarette not only increases blood pressure but also causes atherosclerosis, a direct factor leading to dangerous cardiovascular complications such as acute myocardial infarction and stroke.

Smokers may not immediately feel the long-term effects, but the disease will develop silently and by the time complications occur, it will be too late.

In addition, studies have shown that quitting smoking can significantly reduce the risk of acute myocardial infarction. Within just a few months of quitting smoking, cardiovascular health will improve significantly, while reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/nhoi-mau-co-tim-cap-vi-thoi-quen-hut-thuoc-la-va-canh-bao-tu-chuyen-gia-d233061.html