Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 21)

When the heart muscle isn’t getting blood, it’s also not getting oxygen, and it begins to die. That’s why it’s important to get care as soon as possible. “Call 911,” he says. “And don’t wait more than 15 minutes. People think if they keep waiting, it will pass … but it’s much better to overreact than underreact.” Once you’re at the hospital, doctors can open the blockage two ways. The ﬁrst uses clot-busting drugs, which are given intravenously. “They are most effective within 90 minutes of the onset of symptoms,” Goff says. “The longer you wait,” adds Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., author of Prevent a Second Heart Attack, “the greater the area of the heart muscle that dies; the less likely you are to survive.” The other treatment option is a surgical procedure called angioplasty during which the cardiologist inserts a catheter into the artery and inﬂates a tiny balloon to widen the artery. SITUATION: YOU HAVEN’T Survival strategy: Make lifestyle changes. SITUATION: YOU THINK HAD A HEART ATTACK BUT THINK YOU MIGHT BE AT RISK. Survival strategy: Know the signs, and act fast. You might think you know what a heart attack looks like. “People tend to think of the things they see on TV, which are very dramatic,” Goff says. “That happens, but oftentimes, it’s much more subtle— pressure in the chest or discomfort in the jaw.” Hills suggests an acronym—LIFE—to remember the symptoms of a heart attack. • Left—pain in the left shoulder, left arm, left jaw or left side of the back • Indigestion or nausea, which is rare for men, but more common in women • Fatigue • Exertion—shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort If you observe these symptoms and think someone is having a heart attack, call 911. “My mantra is: When in doubt, check it out,” Brill says. “Otherwise, it could be too late.” YOUR CO-WORKER MIGHT BE HAVING A HEART ATTACK. “We believe that 75 to 80 percent of heart attacks in the United States today are preventable through lifestyle change, through good control of risk factors and through medications,” Goff says. The most important lifestyle change is to quit smoking. In addition, Goff says, eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in fatty meat products and sodium. Get about 30 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and keep your body mass index (BMI) under 25, he explains. Brill notes that you can’t do anything about some risk factors—like getting older or your family history—but she, too, argues that simple, everyday changes make a difference. And managing stress is essential, Hills adds. “Stress can actually be the main thing that keeps you from eating healthily, exercising and sleeping,” she says. Goff explains that while you can’t eliminate stress from your life, you can adjust how you react to it. Vim & Vigor · WI NTER 2011 21

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil's Feature
New Hip, New Life
Building Better Heart Care
Back in Action
Supplementary Knowledge
Keys to Survival
Clearing the Air
Mark Harmon of NCIS fame makes 60 look good
This One's For the Girls
Life After a Loss
Do Your Diabetes Homework
Healthy Returns
Prime Time Health
The Future of Breast Health
Growing Generosity
Out of the White Coat
Transforming Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center