Can cardiosclerosis after a heart attack cause death

Post-infarction cardiosclerosis, or, in other words, cardiosclerosis after a heart attack, is a dangerous disease that inevitably leads to death in the absence of the necessary treatment. The pathological process is characterized by the growth of connective tissue, which partially replaces the heart muscle, which is a consequence of myocardial infarction. Doctors often call this pathology a "scar" on the heart. The resulting areas of scar tissue do not allow the heart muscle to function normally, as they cannot contract and transmit nerve impulses.

Main symptoms

The clinic of post-infarction atherosclerosis is determined by the location of necrosis and its magnitude. The greater the percentage of damaged tissue, the worse the functionality of the myocardium and the greater the likelihood of pathology.

The disease is dangerous because for a long time it can be asymptomatic, without showing itself in any way.

1. Severe shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. It occurs not only with physical effort, but also at rest. Sometimes it appears even in the supine position. A stressful situation also provokes the appearance of shortness of breath.
2. Feeling of heaviness in the chest on the left side. In the region of the heart there are compressive pains, which are aggravated by stress, physical exertion.
3. Arrhythmia, a feeling of uneven heartbeat, its periodic fading. Rhythm disturbances are different - tachycardia or palpitations, bradycardia or slowing of the heart rate, the so-called ragged rhythm, that is, the heart beats randomly.
4. Weakness, decreased performance, fatigue.
5. Edema is often a symptom that appears at a later stage of the disease. As a rule, patients are concerned about swelling of the lower extremities.
6. Cough that appears due to stagnation of blood in the lungs. Usually the cough is dry. There is a specific term for this manifestation of the disease, called "cardiac bronchitis."
7. Dizziness is also a late symptom of cardiosclerosis. Sometimes there are periodic fainting. These signs indicate acute oxygen starvation of the brain.

Since the treatment of any disease is more effective the earlier it is started, the listed symptoms should not be ignored if they appear after a heart attack. The more attentive the patient is to his health, the greater the chance of avoiding the negative consequences of a heart attack and possible serious complications.

Each patient has a different severity of symptoms. According to them, one can judge the severity of the patient's condition.

Any of these symptoms is a reason to immediately inform the attending cardiologist about the manifestation.

Diagnosis of cardiosclerosis

After a heart attack, patients are under the supervision of doctors. With confidence, the diagnosis of "post-infarction cardiosclerosis" can be made only a few months after the onset of scarring of the myocardium.

The criteria for diagnosing cardiosclerosis are based primarily on the clinical picture - when a patient consults a doctor with complaints of shortness of breath, feeling unwell, pain in the chest, cardiosclerosis can be preliminarily diagnosed by the following symptoms:

• when listening, heart murmurs are heard;
• the heart tone is muffled;
• blood pressure is higher than normal;
• the presence of an arrhythmia.

The difficulty lies in the fact that all these signs are characteristic of many other diseases of the cardiovascular system. Therefore, to make an accurate diagnosis, additional examinations are prescribed:

If necessary, a procedure called 24-hour Holter monitoring is prescribed. The event allows you to identify and fix an attack with tachycardia.

Ultrasound of the heart is considered the most informative method of diagnosis. With the help of ultrasound, scar formations can be detected, as well as changes in the shape of the heart, its size.

Myocardial scintigraphy is a method based on the use of radioactive isotopes. The option allows you to determine the exact location of damaged areas of the myocardium. During scintigraphy, the patient is injected with a special drug that enters only healthy myocardial cells, bypassing the damaged ones. Due to this property of the drug, it is possible to detect even small damage to the heart muscle.

Proper diagnosis is of the utmost importance. A well-conducted examination makes it possible not only to make a correct diagnosis, but also to indicate the exact location of the damage, the size of the scar tissue, and the form of the disease. All this allows the doctor to choose the most effective method of treatment.

Modern diagnostic methods allow not only to make an accurate diagnosis, but also to determine the type of disease according to the classification. Thus, an unfavorable prognosis is made for large-focal postinfarction cardiosclerosis, which requires complex and long-term treatment.

Consequences of cardiosclerosis

Postinfarction cardiosclerosis is an irreversible pathology that leads to a deterioration in the functioning of the heart and increases the risk of developing various complications that can cause the death of the patient.

Even if the pathological process is stopped, it will not be possible to get rid of the presence of overgrown scar tissue in the myocardium. The presence of scars in the myocardium leads to the appearance of pathological consequences that need to be cured.

1. Chronic heart failure. With this pathology, the heart cannot cope with the volume of blood necessary to supply all tissues with oxygen. As a result of oxygen starvation of the body, shortness of breath, cough, and physical malaise occur. The stronger the growth of scar tissue, the higher the degree of heart failure, the more serious the violations of body functions.
2. Various arrhythmias (tachycardia, bradycardia) are a frequent occurrence in cardiosclerosis, one of the symptoms of this disease. Attacks of arrhythmia can occur in a patient until the end of life. Drug treatment cannot completely eliminate the problem.
3. Acquired heart defects. These primarily include such a pathology as damage to the valves. This is a rather serious complication, in which the risk of blood clots is high, and pulmonary edema may also occur. Valve defects can be corrected surgically if the patient's condition allows for surgical intervention.
4. Cardiac aneurysm is the most dangerous complication of cardiosclerosis, which has a variety of symptoms similar to those of heart failure. Thinning of the wall of the heart muscle, a decrease in muscle tone lead to a protrusion of the wall - this is an aneurysm. The occurrence of an aneurysm poses a threat to the life of the patient. In the case of an aneurysm, as a rule, urgent surgical intervention is indicated. At the same time, even after elimination, the prognosis for the patient remains not the most favorable with the existing cardiosclerosis.
5. Thromboembolism. Blood clots are formed in cardiosclerosis due to a violation of the correct contraction of the heart. Due to the resulting turbulence in the blood flow, platelets stick together and blood clotting is activated. Most often, blood clots are fixed on the wall of the cavity of the heart. The main danger is torn blood clots that enter the bloodstream and subsequently lead to blockage of the arteries.

Due to the severe consequences that cardiosclerosis causes, patients often receive a disability group. In the absence of the necessary treatment, the complications caused by the disease pose an immediate threat to the life of the patient. It is necessary to treat the initial disease in a timely manner in order to avoid serious pathologies in the future.

Separately, one can single out a complication called chronic fatigue syndrome.

• experiencing apathy for everything, constant drowsiness, physical weakness, loss of concentration;
• becomes practically incapacitated.

Treatment of cardiosclerosis

For the treatment of cardiosclerosis, therapeutic or surgical treatment is prescribed.

Therapy is selected by the doctor individually, taking into account the severity of the development of the pathology. Drug treatment is aimed at eliminating complications caused by the deterioration of the heart, as well as their prevention.

conservative

The affected area of ​​the myocardium cannot be completely restored. The main treatment is carried out in order to eliminate the root causes of the disease, slow down the process of myocardial scarring, and relieve the patient of severe symptoms.

1. Drugs aimed at lowering blood pressure and improving blood circulation. These include Kapoten, Enap, Enalapril. This group of drugs is called ACE inhibitors.
2. Medicines aimed at relieving heart pain (Nitroglycerin, Nitrosorbide). They belong to the group of nitrates.
3. To relieve edema, diuretics are prescribed (Amiloride, Clopamid).
4. A group of drugs related to beta-blockers is prescribed to slow down the heartbeat and reduce pressure (Anaprilin and Metoprolol).
5. In order to reduce the risk of blood clots, antiplatelet drugs are prescribed that can thin the blood (Acetylsalicylic acid, otherwise Aspirin).
6. The drug "Digoxin" is prescribed to improve the contractile function of the myocardium. It belongs to the group of glycosides. It is prescribed with caution, since in some forms of myocardial infarction, drugs in this group are contraindicated.
7. Drugs related to metabolic (Riboxin, Panangin) are prescribed to improve metabolism in the myocardium.

All of these drugs should be prescribed only by a cardiologist, who takes into account the presence of concomitant diseases when prescribing.

It is not recommended to make a decision about taking medications on your own. Such treatment will not only not bring the desired effect, but may also be a danger to the life of the patient.

Surgical

In particularly difficult cases, as well as in the absence of the expected effect of conservative treatment, doctors tend to surgical treatment. The treatment was aimed at correcting heart rhythms, eliminating ischemia, and improving the functioning of healthy myocardial tissues.

The following types of operations are carried out:

• coronary artery bypass grafting;
• removal of the aneurysm;
• balloon angioplasty;
• stenting of coronary arteries;
• installation of a pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator.

Cardinal measure is heart transplantation.

Transplantation is carried out if a large part of the heart muscle is affected after a massive heart attack. If it is possible to treat heart failure with medication, transplantation is refused, since this operation is a big risk.

According to statistics, the largest number of heart transplants are performed in the United States. Heart transplantation in modern medicine is not considered an exceptionally complex operation and is gaining popularity.

One of the effective innovative methods in the treatment of cardiosclerosis is stem cell therapy. This modern technique allows you to effectively restore the cardiovascular system, restore elasticity to blood vessels, and eliminate atherosclerotic plaques.

Diet and folk remedies for cardiosclerosis

In addition to medical and surgical treatment, adherence to a special diet is of considerable importance in the treatment of the disease. At the same time, a great effect is achieved with a combination of diet and a healthy lifestyle, as well as the rejection of bad habits.

Diet Basics:

• food should be consumed in small portions;
• eating should occur 4-6 times a day, preferably at a certain time;
• caloric content per day should be 2500-2800 kilocalories;
• it is advisable to completely abandon salt (if it is impossible to completely refuse, reduce its use to a minimum);
• food should be steamed or boiled;
• increase the intake of foods containing calcium, magnesium and other trace elements and vitamins necessary for the heart;
• exclude fried foods, eggs, alcohol, coffee, tea, foods high in fat from the diet.

For the treatment of cardiosclerosis, there are methods of alternative medicine. Folk remedies often give a positive effect in combination with medications.

Before using traditional medicine recipes, you should consult with your doctor to exclude side effects and possible complications.

Of the folk remedies, the most commonly used recipes for the treatment of cardiosclerosis are hawthorn tincture, caraway and hawthorn tincture, a mixture of egg white and honey, elecampane root, an infusion of rowan berries and red currants.

Survival prognosis

The survival prognosis depends on various factors:

• percentage of scar tissue growth;
• the state of the arteries;
• presence of complications and their severity;
• timeliness and effectiveness of treatment;
• general condition of the body.

In the case of a timely diagnosis, with the course of the disease without severe symptoms, in the absence of arrhythmia, the prognosis is quite favorable.

With serious pathologies of the heart muscle, severe complications, treatment may take a longer period and be less effective.

In the event that an aneurysm is diagnosed, there is a direct threat to the patient's life.

Constant monitoring by a cardiologist will help prevent possible complications in time.

As a prevention of complications, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle and strictly follow all medical prescriptions.

The main prevention of cardiosclerosis is the exclusion of all factors that can provoke heart problems. It is necessary to treat infectious diseases in time. It is important to remember that any chronic infection increases the risk of cardiosclerosis and other complications.

Although post-infarction cardiosclerosis is a formidable disease that leads to various serious consequences and even death, the right attitude to one's health will help minimize the negative consequences of the disease and prolong life for many years.