With no typical signs of a heart attack, Mr. Phuc, 44 years old, was surprised by the diagnosis of complete blockage of two main blood vessels supplying the heart.
Mr. Phuc (living in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) was at the Chinese airport waiting to return to Vietnam when he experienced a dull, stabbing pain in his chest that lasted for 15 minutes and then stopped.
After resting for a while, his health stabilized again, with no more unusual symptoms. He was reassured to board the plane back home. As soon as the plane landed, Mr. Phuc went straight to the hospital for a check-up.
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| With no typical signs of a heart attack, Mr. Phuc, 44 years old, was surprised by the diagnosis of complete blockage of two main blood vessels supplying the heart. |
According to doctors at the hospital where Mr. Phuc visited, the patient came to the hospital in a completely healthy state, with no chest pain or difficulty breathing.
Mr. Phuc shared that he does not smoke but has a history of diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle. He has never been screened for cardiovascular disease because he believes he does not have heart disease.
The doctor ordered an echocardiogram for Mr. Phuc, the results showed no abnormalities. An electrocardiogram showed no obvious signs of myocardial infarction.
However, elevated cardiac enzyme tests combined with the appropriate clinical context led the doctor to confirm that this was a hidden myocardial infarction, causing partial myocardial necrosis.
“I was very surprised when I was diagnosed with myocardial infarction because there were almost no specific signs of the disease. If I had not gone to the doctor, the disease could have progressed seriously, causing acute heart failure, arrhythmia, and sudden death,” Phuc shared.
The patient was quickly given a coronary angiogram to find the cause of the myocardial infarction. The results determined that the two main blood vessels that feed the heart - the anterior interventricular artery and the circumflex artery - were completely blocked.
In Vietnam, each year about 200,000 people die from cardiovascular disease, accounting for 33% of all deaths. This rate is double the number of people who die from cancer, which is also the leading cause of death today.
Myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a “heart attack”, is a dangerous acute cardiovascular event that occurs when one or more coronary artery branches are blocked, blood flow to a part of the heart muscle is reduced or completely stopped, causing sudden myocardial ischemia and necrosis of the ischemic heart muscle.
The cause of coronary artery stenosis comes from the deposition of cholesterol in the blood, causing damage to the lining of the artery wall, causing chronic inflammation in this area. At that time, the body produces inflammatory reactions, attracting a large number of platelets and immune cells to seek out the wound to heal.
Over time, these cells combine with calcium and cholesterol to form atherosclerotic plaques on the artery walls. When the plaques break off, they damage the arteries and form blood clots, obstructing blood flow. They can even lead to local blockages, causing myocardial infarction.
The disease often occurs suddenly, progresses rapidly and has a poor prognosis if not detected and treated promptly.
Many patients have typical signs of myocardial infarction such as angina, chest heaviness, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting...
However, there are also cases where the disease has no specific signs of myocardial infarction, leading to delays in timely diagnosis and treatment.
Depending on the level of imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand as well as the patient's constitution, the symptoms of myocardial infarction have certain differences.
According to doctors, two of the risk factors for silent myocardial infarction in young people include smoking, being overweight or obese, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Although there are no typical symptoms, if you have a silent heart attack, you may feel very tired like you have the flu, have muscle pain in your chest or upper back, pain in your jaw and arms, and indigestion.
To prevent myocardial infarction, regular cardiovascular screening and examination are very important. Adhering to a healthy lifestyle (no smoking, regular exercise, eating heart-healthy foods, controlling underlying medical conditions, etc.) also helps reduce the risk of this disease.
In addition, proper first aid for myocardial infarction patients, rapid transfer to hospital or activation of the outpatient emergency system is the "golden key" to saving the patient's life and preventing dangerous complications.
Initial treatment is very important for patients with myocardial infarction, so when detecting a patient with acute myocardial infarction, it is necessary to quickly contact emergency services and perform first aid for myocardial infarction on the spot.
First, keep the patient in a sitting or lying position, loosen clothes and belts, avoid gathering around the patient, keep the space around the patient clear, helping blood circulate easily.
Call emergency services (115) immediately. If you cannot wait for an ambulance from the nearest hospital, take the initiative to hire a taxi or take the patient to the nearest hospital or medical facility yourself.
Give the patient an aspirin to chew/swallow while waiting for the ambulance if the doctor allows it. Aspirin helps prevent blood clots and reduces heart damage. Note, do not give aspirin to patients who are allergic to any of the ingredients in the drug.
If the patient is unconscious and no longer breathing, perform chest compressions (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation - CPR) as soon as possible because for every 1 minute delay, the patient may lose 10% of their chance of being saved.
The patient feels more nervous and anxious than usual (feeling restless), rapid heartbeat is a common symptom of myocardial infarction, loss of consciousness, sudden drop in blood pressure, fainting.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/phat-hien-nhoi-mau-co-tim-voi-chi-con-dau-nhoi-o-nguc-d218313.html
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