Primary Angioplasty - Early intervention to save your heart

Heart attacks are amongst the most dreaded illnesses. And getting the right help at the right time in such situations can make the difference between life and death.

People who die out of a heart attack do so within few hours after the onset of the symptoms. In certain instances, a Heart Attack might strike a young patient, who has no prior risk factors. The key is to recognize the symptoms of an attack and respond quickly and it is necessary that the patient gets to a tertiary care hospital quickly and based on his/her condition, treatment is started without delay. Emergency Angioplasty saves lives.

A lot of young people these days are falling victim to heart ailments despite not having any known risk factors. Harish a native of Hyderabad and young IT professional working in Chennai learnt this the hard way, when he suddenly suffered a massive heart attack. The 24 year old was otherwise hail and healthy and did not have cholesterol or obesity problems, nevertheless the only problem that was taunting him was STRESS.

Harish was living alone, his parents being in Andhra Pradesh. He was a gold medallist in engineering and was preparing for an exam and had slept just for an hour in 3 days. He suddenly experienced difficulty in breathing which gradually turned out to be unbearable and immediately rushed to Fortis Malar Hospital, Adyar, Chennai.

"Diagnosis is far superior these days making it easier to identify a heart attack early. In Harish's case, apart from being breathless he had vomiting and abdominal pain. Nearly 30 percent of heart attack patients have these symptoms. So we immediately went ahead and did an ECG to confirm that he had suffered a Massive Heart Attack." said Dr. Sanjiv Agarwal, Interventional Cardiologist, Fortis Malar Hospital, Adyar, Chennai.

A Massive heart attack also called a myocardial infarction happens when a blood clot blocks a coronary artery. Coronary arteries are the vessels that supply the heart with blood and oxygen. If they become blocked, the heart muscle does not receive blood and oxygen, and becomes damaged. The longer the artery is blocked, the more damage there is to the heart.

"Heart attack is a life-threatening event and everyone should know the warning signs of heart attack. Most people who die of heart attack die within the first hour after the onset of the symptoms. In Harish's case primary Angioplasty was done in less than 40 minutes of his arrival to Fortis Malar" added Dr Sanjiv Agarwal.

Primary Angioplasty Procedure, A catheter (thin, hollow tube) is inserted through a small cut on groin. The catheter is guided through the aorta (the main artery of the body) into the blocked artery in the heart. At the tip of the catheter is a small balloon. This is inflated, clearing the blockage in the artery. Around the balloon is a small metal tube, which can expand, called a stent. After 10 to 20 seconds, the balloon is deflated and taken out. The stent stays in place and hold the artery open. This means that blood can flow down through the artery again.

"Most people who die of heart attack die within the first hour after the onset of the symptoms. Timely Intervention on the patient with primary angioplasty has not only saved the life, but also let his life to be back to normal with good LV function." said Dr Sanjiv Agarwal. Post Surgery Harish was able to walk the next day and was completely cured of his condition the following week and has been back to work as before.

Source : Equity Bulls

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