time equals muscle – Heart Sisters

by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters

Researchers tell us that women wait significantly longer than our male counterparts to seek medical help – yes, even in mid-heart attack! In fact, trying to figure out WHY women wait dangerously longer than we should has become a unique field of cardiac study on what’s known as “treatment-seeking delay behaviour“.

“What I Wish I Knew Back Then” is a back-to-basics summer series of posts here on Heart Sisters that will revisit some of the most frequently asked questions from new heart patients. Today, Part 2 continues with another basic that often accompanies a heart attack: “What happens to heart muscle if I wait too long to get urgent help?” Continue reading “What I wish I knew back then: “What happens to heart muscle during a heart attack?”” →

RLM071

by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters

Here’s why it’s so important to call for an ambulance immediately if you think you might be having a heart attack. A heart attack (or myocardial infarction) is the death of heart muscle from the sudden blockage of a coronary artery.

This blockage deprives your heart muscle – or myocardium – of blood and oxygen. If blood flow is not restored to your heart muscle within 20-40 minutes, irreversible death of the muscle will begin to occur. Muscle continues to die for 6-8 hours, at which time your heart attack will be described as ‘complete’. Depending on how much heart muscle is damaged, disability or death can result.

But if you actually do live through this, your dead heart muscle will eventually be replaced by scar tissue. So as you can imagine, every minute counts.

Time equals muscle. click to continue reading …