Why there is a coma after a heart attack and how dangerous it is

A heart attack is a common disease and occupies a leading position in the list of popular disorders of the cardiovascular system. However, even after suffering such a violation, there are terrible consequences that frighten more than such a “blow”. And coma after a heart attack is a consequence that significantly reduces the patient's chances of survival.

Specification of a heart attack, causes and possible consequences

To understand the essence of coma in myocardial infarction, we first consider the characteristics of the disease itself.

A heart attack is a pathology of the heart that develops gradually. Spontaneous development is almost impossible, it is rare. In the circulatory system, this disease spreads to the main organ - the heart, or more precisely, it affects the cells of myocardial tissue. The myocardium is the main muscle that provides timely contraction and execution of all phases of the rhythm. It provides outflow and inflow of blood, controls blood circulation in the circles of blood circulation. Violation in the histological environment, that is, in the tissues of the organ, leads to oxygen starvation. Therefore, not only the heart is included in the list of organs that, as a result of such a violation, lead to a heart attack and a subsequent coma.

First of all, these include:

• brain and spinal cord. A heart attack in this case develops not only slowly and systematically, but also quickly. It is rare, but this type of pathology is considered one of the most dangerous to health. Coma is a frequent phenomenon in case of disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system and brain activity;
• urinary system, namely the kidneys. A heart attack sometimes occurs in people who are donors. Therefore, earlier individuals who donated their organs for patients were at risk. Now the percentage of mortality and coma has decreased;
• analyzers, especially problems associated with the activity of the retina of the eyeball;
• spleen.

If a person develops a heart attack, then necrosis forms on the heart. They are the result of insufficient blood flow.

If a person is assisted almost immediately by professionals, then the chance to survive increases. In this case, they speak of a positive prognosis. But a return to the former life activity is impossible. Damaged areas of the heart are slowly healed, covered with a connective type of tissue. This affects the rhythm and speed of the beats.

A person who has survived a heart attack belongs to a special social group. After the illness, he has to completely or partially change his lifestyle, daily routine, follow a diet and suitable diets. Physical exercise should not be burdensome for the patient. Otherwise, a relapse of the disease occurs, which at times increases the chances of a fatal outcome.

• heart attack is the cause of death not only in the elderly, but also among the younger layers. Almost thirty percent of all deaths are due to this disease. There is an increase in cases with a prolonged coma;
• 11% of people who progress with the disease relapse. This means that the extensive type of heart attack is limited not to one attack, but to two. Moreover, after the second “strike”, the percentage of survival drops sharply;
• every day, the ambulance has more than thirty thousand visits that are associated with this cardiac pathology.

An important consequence is that after a heart attack, ischemia also develops. It affects more than seven million people in Russia. Worldwide, the number of people suffering from a heart attack is almost one and a half or two times higher.

The number of seizures is directly related to the gender of the person. It has been established that men between the ages of forty-five and fifty years are five times more committed to a heart attack than women in the same period. This is due to the presence in the body of the fair sex of a special hormone - estrogen, which is responsible for protecting tissues. However, it ceases to be produced in the body by the age of sixty. And in this time period, the risk of being in the category of patients with a heart attack increases by almost fifty percent.

You can help a person if you provide timely assistance. To do this, he must fall into the hands of doctors in the first two hours after the discovery of an attack. In this case, time is the key to success. The more hours have passed, the greater the likelihood of losing a patient or going into a coma.

The main differences between a heart attack and a stroke

Coma occurs in both heart attack and stroke. But these are completely different diseases, although people often confuse them, passing them off as one for the other.

It is important to learn to distinguish between diseases, to identify their symptoms and signs of development.

1. The disease mainly progresses on the heart muscle and organs, arteries, vessels associated with it.
2. This process occurs due to insufficient blood flow to the muscle.
3. There are several degrees of heart attack. They depend on exactly where the damage is located, what size it is and how much time has passed since the onset of the attack.
4. If the “hit” does not last long and the person was helped in a timely manner, then his chances of successful recovery are high. A scar is formed at the site of injury, which does not affect muscle function so much.

The opposite of this disease is stroke. It is also associated with circulatory disorders, but the pathology extends to brain tissue. The cells of the gray matter and brain tissue receive nutrients and oxygen in quantities that are not necessary for normal life. In this case, they die almost immediately. The prognosis is positive if a person consults a doctor at the right time. Recovery is a long process and depends on individual characteristics. In most cases, it lasts from several months to decades. Ninety percent of patients do not return to the previous rhythm of life due to the disease.

Consequences that occur due to myocardial infarction along with coma

Life after an attack does not mean the absence of dangers. Forty out of a hundred people who have this type of disease die within the first year. Five years is a long time, twenty percent do not cross it. The reason for this is relapse, that is, a repetition of an attack, and all kinds of complications.

A coma is a process when a person finds himself between life and death.

• proliferation of the connective type of myocardial tissue. This process is called pericarditis, and the neoplasm, together with the adjacent muscles, is called the "shell heart";
• process of endocarditis. It leads to the formation of blood clots. The thromboembolic syndrome is quite often found;
• some forms of heart failure;
• some types of heart rhythm disturbances;
• numerous edema in the lungs;
• problems with heart muscles - myocardial rupture and so on.

Heart problems are almost universal. A heart attack often becomes a cause for other progressive diseases. But coma is a condition that occurs in almost every third patient.

Characteristics of a coma

This condition should not be taken lightly.

• loss of consciousness;
• loss of response to any external types of stimuli. This is expressed as a sharp weakening or complete loss of control over one's actions;
• loss of reflexes;
• violation of the processes of inhalation and exhalation;
• violation of the heart rhythm, pulse;
• violation of the processes of regulation and vascular tone.

If we talk about the consequences of coma and its effect on organ systems, then the following processes are distinguished:

1. Deviation of some indicators from the norm. For example, the balance of acids and alkalis in the nervous form of tissues is disturbed. The neutral environment of the body is not typical for a coma.
2. Loss of oxygen and feeling unsatisfied. There is oxygen starvation. The lack of the required number of compounds affects the brain, the cerebral cortex, the nervous and other organ systems.
3. Deviations in the process of ion exchange, lack of the required amount of energy.

There are several classifications of coma.

• apoplectic appearance. It is characteristic of acute cases of impaired blood flow to the brain;
• hypoxic coma. This category is found in almost all people with the presence of cardiac pathologies. An important condition is an insufficient amount of oxygen that enters the tissue formations.

Stages of a coma

There are several stages of coma. The development of this condition proceeds in different ways, depending on external factors and individual indicators of a person. In some cases, everything develops quickly, almost lightning fast. All stages pass in a few minutes or hours. But there are cases when a coma with myocardial infarction occurs for several days, weeks and even months.

1. precomatose state. At this stage, the consciousness begins to get confused, there is a partial stun. Man resembles a drowsy, inhibited and excitable creature. Reflexes are preserved, but the movements are unconscious and little controlled.
2. First degree coma. Inhibition of all major processes, there is a violation of metabolic and metabolic mechanisms. Reflexes at this stage are saved.
3. Second degree coma. The person falls into a deep sleep state. Often they try to do artificial respiration, but in this situation it will not help much. It is important to distinguish ordinary syncope from the gradually developing process of cell death.
4. Third degree coma. Also called atonic. The dream state continues, but there are no reflexes. The patient does not show reflexes. All bodily functions are impaired. Respiratory depression and processes.
5. fourth degree coma. It's called transcendental. It is rare and leads to death. The chance of waking up from this state is very low.

In addition to the processes of coma, a certain type of shock is also distinguished - cardiogenic. It has three degrees. The first two last from eight to fifteen hours. The first one is relatively easy. There is a decrease in pressure in the arteries. Usually it is one hundred twenty by eighty millimeters of mercury. In case of shock, it drops to eighty-five by fifty and sixty by forty units. Lasts three to five hours. The reaction is fast, but the reflexes are weakened.

The second lasts from five to ten hours. The upper category of pressure in the arteries decreases. Quite often the insufficiency of a left ventricle is shown. In a calm state, shortness of breath is observed, reflexes and the ability to coordinate one's own movements are impaired.

In the third stage, mental disorders are observed. The duration of this stage varies from twenty-four to seventy-two hours. The pulse and pressure in the arteries decreases. More often the last stage of shock ends in death.

There are several ways to help a person. First of all, call a doctor. In the first stages of a coma, a person usually loses consciousness. Therefore, it is very difficult to ascertain the state. However, in any case, it is important to ensure the access of oxygen to the lungs, which is often disturbed due to a tongue that sinks. Treatment of coma is carried out by administering drugs intravenously or intramuscularly.