Re: Heart attack intensityf

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on April 14, 1998 at 21:10:41:

In Reply to: Heart attack intensityf posted by MB on April 14, 1998 at 19:44:42:






I was over a friends house over the weekend and the phone rang.  I was a call
from my friend's uncle stating that he drove himself to the hospital----
he thought it was his heart.  After evaluation, his diagnosis was that he had
a heart attack.  My question:  How can you have a heart attack and live through it?
Or even not be greatly afftected by it (able to drive)?  What determines how
"big" the heart attack is?
Thanks,
MB
  
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Dear MB:
First of all, anyone that feels that he or she is having a heart attack should  call 911.  Your uncle was lucky that things turned out OK.  "Heart attack" is a very general term that includes sudden cardiac death at one end of the spectrum, and small areas of heart wall damage that the patient may not even feel at the other end of the spectrum.  Heart attacks, or myocardial infarctions, refer to heart muscle cells dying; thus it is possible for just a few cells to die, causing a small heart attack.  Heart attacks can be accompanied by chest discomfort, other symptoms, or no symptoms at all.  Heart attacks are a major cause of death in this country, and regardless of the size, require prompt and serious medical attention.
Information provided here is of a general nature.  Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor.  If your uncle would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F25.