Nearly a million people in the country suffer from a heart attack and its aftermath. Blame it on the genes or the family history or lifestyle, it is a frightening experience throughout, but certainly, it is not always lethal. People experiencing heart attacks know well that they can lead to productive and enjoyable lives through proper and timely treatment and an active lifestyle.

Causes
The main cause of a heart attack is the blockage of the coronary artery that supplies blood to the heart. The inner walls of the coronary artery get narrowed due to the cholesterol deposits. As a result of which the blood supply is cut off and the heart muscles begin to die due to the lack of oxygen in it thus triggering an attack.

Apart from the above, drug misuse and Hypoxia can trigger heart attacks. Hypoxia is a medical condition where there is a lack of oxygen in the blood.

Symptoms
Not everyone experiences similar symptoms triggering heart attacks. The severity of these symptoms also varies from man to man. For some, the pain is mild yet for others, the pain becomes excruciatingly unbearable. Even for some, there may be no obvious symptoms whereas for others the very first sign may be a cardiac arrest. Some attacks strike suddenly whereas others may experience certain warning signs.

• Chest pain: A sensation of tightness, squeezing, and pressure at the center of the chest.
• Pain in other parts of the body: It may feel like the pain is gradually traveling to other body parts from the chest. The left arm feels a little tingly but both the arms may be affected. The pain can even be experienced in the abdomen, back, and the jawline.
• Feeling lightheaded and dizzy: It feels like the whole world around is revolving.
• Shortness of breath:  Feeling sick and sweaty along with the shortness of breath can be signs of an attack.
• Anxiety: An overwhelming feeling of anxiousness similar to a panic attack can be a triggering sign of an attack.
• Face color changes: If there is a sudden feeling of the face turning grey and restlessness then an attack might be occurring.

Treatment
The treatment depends on whether it is a STEMI attack or another type of attack. A STEMI attack is the most life-threatening attack and needs immediate treatment. Some of the treatment procedures are discussed hereunder.

• If the symptoms of heart attack are experienced and ECG shows STEMI then patients are given treatment to unblock the coronary arteries.
• If the symptoms start within 12 hours then patients are given PCI or the Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention which is an emergency treatment using a procedure called Coronary Angioplasty. In this procedure, a Sausage shaped balloon catheter with a camera is inserted into the coronary artery up to the groin. The balloon is then inflated inside the narrowed artery to open the blockage and widen it. A stent is usually placed in the artery to keep it widened afterward.
• If the symptoms started within the 12 hours and the patient could not access to PCI then he would be given medications to break the blood clots.
• If the symptoms have started more than 12 hours ago then a bypass surgery is required for the treatment. The blood vessels from other parts of the body are used as a graft that bypasses any narrowed arteries in the heart and resumes the easy blood flow to the heart.