home Consultations Life after myocardial infarction: methods and recommendations for rehabilitation, life prognosis. How to live after a myocardial infarction

Life after myocardial infarction: methods and recommendations for rehabilitation, life prognosis. How to live after a myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction is a condition when the coronary muscle of the heart is blocked due to its narrowing or the release of a blood clot, causing a complete stop of blood supply to this organ. Life expectancy after a heart attack directly depends on the degree of damage to the heart muscle and the severity of damage to the entire body. The disease is characterized by the presence of scars that exclude the possibility of full functioning of the heart, and the necrotic area of the muscle loses its elasticity and strength.

Methods of rehabilitation after a heart attack

Recovery largely depends on proper rehabilitation:

Stationary. Recovery takes place under strict supervision medical personnel in the cardiology department.
Day hospital. The patient is rehabilitated by staying in the hospital only in daytime. Walking is allowed fresh air, going home.
Outpatient. With it, the patient undergoes recovery on his own, visiting a cardiologist at the clinic on appointed days.

A heart attack is a pathological condition accompanied by tissue necrosis due to impaired blood supply to the body

How long rehabilitation will last depends directly on the location where it is carried out. On average, with inpatient treatment And proper operation left ventricle, the patient is discharged on the tenth day of stay in it. The prognosis for the life of each patient is individual. Thus, with timely detection and treatment of the disease, a person can live a long life. It all depends on the general state of his health, and at what age this misfortune happened to him. Statistics show that people are more young Heart rupture and its consequences are much easier to bear than older people.

Remember that surviving a heart attack means dividing life into “before” and “after”. You shouldn’t overly dramatize the situation, but simply reconsider your attitude to life, habits, and don’t forget about prevention and self-control.

Types of heart attack

Please note that depending on the source of muscle damage, the disease is divided into:

small (small-focal), when changes in the work of the heart are observed in its individual areas;
extensive, it is characterized by damage to large areas of the heart muscle.

Manifestations of myocardial infarction in each specific case are individual

Types of extensive heart attack

Depending on the location of the damage, it is divided into infarction:

anterior wall of the left ventricle;

It has been established that damage to the anterior wall of the heart is the most common and easier to diagnose disease. Set dysfunction back wall almost impossible. The cardiogram does not reveal abnormalities, which quite often leads to the death of the patient. Only after the person has died does an autopsy reveal numerous scars on the back wall.

IN in rare cases the phenomenon of chronic infarction is possible, not characterized by pain, with signs of suffocation or fever. It is quite difficult, with a large statistics of deaths. With any type of such disease, you can encounter a “heart rupture” a second time. It occurs due to irreversible processes in the heart muscle and adjacent coronary vessels. Blood circulation is disrupted, atherosclerotic plaques appear, as a result of which a recurrent heart attack is diagnosed.

Rehabilitation begins after acute phase myocardial infarction

Stenting is often used to prevent any type of heart attack. It is a mesh cobalt tube that is inserted into the narrowest part of the artery, ensuring a constant flow of blood to the heart. After stenting, it is mandatory to take blood thinning medications to avoid blood clots, which the stent cannot protect against. The operation is classified as endovascular and is performed under local anesthesia.

How long they live after stenting is an incorrect question. You need to understand that installing a stent is a chance for a long and healthy life, which can be extended correct mode day and healthy eating.

Life after a heart attack has its own characteristics, and in order to understand how to live with a myocardial infarction, what you can and cannot do, we will consider below. The main criterion full life After an illness, it is its quality that matters.

To restore the body after a “heart break” you need:

observe ;
avoid stress and do not overwork;
monitor your weight;

Physical activity is an integral part of rehabilitation therapy after a heart attack

get rid of bad habits;
exercise;
monitor blood test results;
restore acceptable level blood pressure;
do not neglect taking prescribed medications.

By following these measures, the likelihood of recurrence of the disease is significantly reduced.

Remember that in men the course of the disease and recovery period is more severe than in women. Therefore, if he has diabetes and also smokes, the likelihood of the disease is much higher. But with such an illness it is not only possible to continue to live, but also necessary, which can provide correct image life.

Questions about sex life after illness are the most common. At the moment of orgasm, the heartbeat accelerates and this becomes a great physical load for the heart and for the whole body. But if you endure the recovery period, gradually increasing the load, from walking short distances to climbing stairs, thereby training the heart muscle, then a smooth transition to intimate contacts is not only possible, but will also have a positive effect on the health of the entire body.

The answer to the question: how to behave after stenting, there will be only one recommendation - adhere to proper nutrition, reconsider your habits.

Forecast for life after extensive heart attack less favorable, life expectancy will largely depend on the condition of the body and strict adherence to rehabilitation measures.

People who have suffered an extensive myocardial infarction, especially those who have survived an extensive one, should be observed by a cardiologist, since usually survival rates after such a disease are low. This is due to the fact that the heart can no longer pump previous regime, and the patient’s task is to help him in the life support of his body.

What will life be like after a heart attack, how long do patients with such a diagnosis live - reviews vary. Remember that your health is in your hands.

We are talking about this with the head of the rehabilitation department and secondary prevention cardiovascular diseases GNITS preventive medicine Roszdrav, doctor medical sciences, Professor David Aronov.

Limitations are inevitable

– David Meerovich, how should a person who has suffered a myocardial infarction behave?

– He must avoid so-called risk factors, give up everything that could negatively affect his health. And first of all, you need to quit smoking – immediately and categorically. A man who stubbornly continues to smoke after suffered a heart attack, - suicide. The content of fats in the blood of smokers is higher than that of non-smokers, and this is a direct path to atherosclerosis. When smoking, blood clotting time accelerates by 15-26%, and this leads to the formation of blood clots and the risk of another attack.

Obesity is the second most important risk factor in patients who have had a heart attack. Nothing new has been invented in the fight against obesity since the time of Hippocrates, except physical activity and low-calorie diet.

– People who have had a heart attack often find it difficult to walk quickly, climb stairs... What kind of physical activity can we talk about here?

– No matter how hard it is, you need to move more. Physical training - effective remedy fight against atherosclerosis. People who exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week improve their blood fat levels, reduce the tendency to form blood clots, develop additional small blood vessels that feed the heart muscle, normalize cholesterol, and gradually dissolve fatty plaques. The latter was proven using repeated angiography of the heart vessels.

No amateur performances

– That is, the sooner a person begins to load his heart after a heart attack, the better?

– Yes, that’s true, but the loads need to be increased gradually. Today, for example, you walked 1 km at a slow pace. If there is no pain or any other unpleasant sensations, the next day you can slightly increase the pace or distance.

A very serious risk factor is refusal of medications prescribed by a doctor. This is a very dangerous trend: patients often decide for themselves what to take from what the doctor has prescribed and what to refuse. But we're talking about about life and death. Medicines prescribed by your doctor prevent further progression diseases. Thus, aspirin reduces blood clotting, statins normalize cholesterol levels in the blood, and Arifon lowers blood pressure. I can give you terrifying statistics: of the total number of people suffering from hypertension, only 20% follow all doctor’s orders. Approximately 60% are treated occasionally and 20% are not treated at all. But hypertension is one of the the most important factors the risk of developing atherosclerosis, and if hypertension is combined with atherosclerosis, the risk of developing a heart attack increases 5 times! IN English language there is such a thing beautiful word“compliance”, which means adherence to treatment. So, adherence to treatment among our population is very low. Under these conditions, the role of the patient’s environment increases, primarily his family members, who must monitor whether he is taking the prescribed medications correctly.

– What should the blood pressure be in patients who have had a myocardial infarction?

– The so-called upper pressure should be less than 130, and the lower pressure should be less than 80 mm Hg. Art.

– This is probably a stupid question, but nevertheless, why does one person die after the first heart attack, and another survives the second, and the third, and the fourth?

- It all depends on individual characteristics body and, one might say, a certain amount of luck. But there is no point in hoping that I will be lucky and be able to have a heart attack three times - the risk of not getting into the top ten is very high. The likelihood of a new incident depends on many factors: the presence of hypertension, hereditary predisposition, poor nutrition, excess weight, emotional and mental overload. In the first year, a second heart attack occurs in 10-20% of patients. Men are more vulnerable in this sense than women.

Subtleties of nutrition

– It is clear that it is impossible to become completely healthy after a heart attack. However, smooth it out Negative consequences, probably, not only is it possible, but also necessary. Tell us what needs to be done for this?

– It is necessary to reduce blood cholesterol levels. It is found in our food. Fish roe is richest in cholesterol, egg yolk, liver, kidneys, brains, dairy products, animal fat.

In addition, you need to sharply limit all sweets, especially simple types sugars that are quickly absorbed, which contributes to a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, and this, in turn, leads to the development of carbohydrate intolerance syndrome, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, which further aggravate the course of atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart attack.

Everything that gives food beauty and taste, as a rule, contains components harmful to the body of a sick person. Therefore, you need to follow a diet. The essence of the diet comes down to not overeating, not eating when you don’t really want to, for example, for company or so as not to offend the hostess.

You should especially limit your consumption of animal fats. A lot of fat, and therefore cholesterol, is contained in the skin of birds. That's why there is chicken skin It is extremely undesirable for people who have had a heart attack. You should choose a skinny bird, or even better - chickens. Turkey meat is very good, it does not contain bad fat, is quite nutritious and tasty.

You need to eat at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables. Potatoes don't count because they're pure starch. But cabbage can be eaten without restrictions, both boiled and in the form of salads. It is advisable to eat low-calorie bread made from flour that is not very finely ground. The most healthy are coarse types of bread with bran admixtures.

Our people have bad habit Any feast ends with a so-called dessert, including pastries, pies, and sweets. And this is after the person has eaten both meat and fat! If you really can’t bear to give up dessert altogether, replace sweets with dried fruits.

Don't pretend to be a hero

– Is it possible to have sex after a heart attack?

- Why not? Just don’t pretend to be a hero, proving your masculine worth at all costs. Patients who can easily climb to the third or fourth floor do not require any special restrictions. Those unable to handle such a load need to be careful. It is a good idea to have nitroglycerin on hand.

Special advice for summer residents. We have already talked to you about the benefits of physical activity. However, work for personal plot This cannot be considered useful physical activity. There is even such a term as “heart attack in the garden.” This is very hard physical work, in which you often have to do things that are strictly contraindicated for patients who have had a heart attack, for example, lifting weights.

– Mostly older people work in our gardens. For many of them, the dacha garden is literally the breadwinner.

– In such cases, you need to work extremely carefully, slowly, taking breaks every 20-30 minutes. You should not set yourself impossible tasks, for example, to do so much in a day and not an inch less. Never work during the hottest part of the day. If you experience any chest pain, stop working immediately.

– Summarizing all of the above, what could you wish for our readers?

– Anyone who has had a heart attack should always have nitroglycerin or some other drug on hand to relieve pain. If pain occurs along the way, do not endanger yourself or others. Stop, relieve the pain and only then continue moving. A main advice- be reasonable. Do not think that health is given to you forever and without restrictions, and even free of charge, and therefore you do not need to do anything to preserve it. Health requires attention, care, and care.

How long people live after a myocardial infarction depends on a number of factors. A person’s age and type of disease play a big role. When the patient is young and the pathology is not severe, the prospects are quite encouraging. The survival rate of elderly people who have suffered such a heart pathology, especially with its transmural variety, is quite low. Concomitant pathologies, such as aneurysm, diabetes mellitus or arterial hypertension, are often detected in elderly patients. It is these ailments that are considered criteria that significantly reduce the life expectancy of these patients. Statistics show that myocardial infarction often leads to fatal outcome, so you should try to do everything possible to prevent this.

All complications are divided by doctors into early and late.

Acute (early) consequences:

the occurrence of pulmonary edema;
heart rhythm disorder;
acute heart failure;
thrombosis formed in the systemic circulation.

If the heart attack is small-focal, then the likelihood of complications is reduced. Because as a result of this destructive process If damage to the left ventricle of the organ occurs more often, insufficiency of this particular section is observed. A symptom of such a disorder is breathing problems; the patient cannot inhale air normally. Against the background of such a disorder and insufficiency of the left ventricle, swelling of the lung tissue occurs.

Another serious consequence of myocardial infarction is considered to be dangerous forms of arrhythmia, including ventricular fibrillation. The pathologies themselves are serious, some people cannot live long if they occur, and if such a situation develops after a heart attack, the prognosis is often disappointing. When such damage to the heart is detected, the localization of which is located in the endocardial zone from below, then there is a significant likelihood of thrombosis in the area great circle blood circulation If a blood clot breaks off and enters the vascular bed of the brain, the lumen of these arteries becomes blocked, causing a stroke.

Long-term complications are considered less dangerous than acute ones, but they appear much more often than early consequences.

Long-term complications:

pericarditis;
all types of arrhythmia;
development of cardiosclerosis;
defeat lung tissue or pleurisy.

If we talk about cardiosclerosis, then this disorder is detected in all patients who have suffered such a heart disease. It affects how long you can live after a heart attack. Similar conditions have a direct connection with the formation of connective fibers for the formation of a scar on the organ. If cardiosclerosis has a diffuse form, then deviations in the functioning of the heart muscle may be observed. If the conductivity of an organ is disrupted, then interruptions in its contractions occur, and heart failure often appears. The processes that can appear during the heart attack itself are varied and deadly.

Complications during the death of heart cells:

organ tamponade, causing hemorrhage in the pericardial area;
acute cardiac aneurysm;
thromboembolism affecting the lung;
development of thromboendocarditis;
rupture of one of the ventricles of the organ and death.

This is why it is difficult for doctors to answer questions regarding how long such a patient will live; many associated factors play a role here. Those patients whose condition is not burdened by additional ailments have a chance. It is important to follow the recommendations of your doctor during the recovery phase, this will help reduce the likelihood of severe consequences or development of a second heart attack. The effectiveness of the therapy also affects the prognosis. The treatment method, surgical or medicinal, should help the person’s heart resume its activity. If doctors managed to achieve this, it means that the patient’s life expectancy will increase. Stenting is another way to help patients live long lives. If this intervention has been applied, the wall of the artery, in which there are atherosclerotic plaques, is cleared of them, then blood flow is restored, helping to improve the functioning of the main organ.

How long do they live after a massive heart attack?

During myocardial infarction, part of the heart tissue dies. If we are talking about an extensive type of disease, then a large area of the organ is susceptible to necrosis, significantly disrupting its activity. Necrotic changes most often affect the anterior wall of the left ventricle, since it is this area that is more functionally loaded than others. From this zone, blood is released into the aorta under high pressure. Statistics show that in a small proportion of patients, a destructive process is observed in the right ventricle, and an even smaller number of heart attack victims are exposed to atrial pathology.

If an extensive myocardial infarction has developed, then damage to all layers is detected muscle tissue organ, epicardium, myocardium, endocardium.

The necrosis zone can measure up to 8-9 cm in width. This large area of cell death is caused by critical level nutrients and oxygen to the heart. Such deviations are usually the result of long-term disruption of blood flow in the coronary artery.

Problems with blood flow in this area are often associated with atherosclerotic lesions of the vessel walls. As the plaques begin to increase in size, they gradually close this gap until it becomes completely obstructed. The danger of this condition is that any external influence in the form of excessive physical activity or emotional overload may contribute to plaque detachment and damage the fibers of the vascular wall. The restoration process in the tissues of the artery walls occurs due to the formation of a blood clot, which gradually increases in size and closes the lumen of the artery, which leads to a stop in blood supply.

Among other things, a growing blood clot releases special substances that can cause vessel spasm. Such narrowing of the lumen can be observed both in small sections of the arteries and affect it completely. During the period of spasm, blood flow is often disrupted, and sometimes it is completely blocked, preventing nutrients from entering the heart. This process entails the death of organ cells, which usually occurs 15-18 minutes after the onset of such pathology. When another 6 to 8 hours pass, extensive myocardial infarction occurs, after which life expectancy is significantly reduced.

What causes blood blockage:

Arterial hypertension. Under the influence of high pressure, thickening occurs blood arteries, more precisely, their walls, they become less flexible and thick. During periods of stress, such vessels are not able to provide the main organs with all nutrients and oxygen.
Genetic predisposition. A person may develop a tendency to form blood clots, develop atherosclerotic lesions and high blood pressure as a result of heredity. Average, similar reasons cause myocardial infarction in a third of all cases.
Diabetes. This pathology increases the growth of atherosclerotic plaques. In addition, the disease destroys vascular tissue and disrupts the body's metabolic processes. The combination of such factors often leads to serious illnesses hearts.
Age criteria. Young people are less likely to suffer from this pathology.
Bad habits. Inhaling tobacco smoke negatively affects the condition of blood vessels, causing them to narrow. Alcohol contributes to the development of disorders in the liver, the organ responsible for the breakdown of fats. Due to the inability of the liver to perform this function normally, fat accumulates and is deposited on the walls of the arteries.
To belong to male. In men, myocardial infarction occurs much more often than in women, approximately 3-4 times.
Insufficiency or complete absence physical activity affects the elasticity of the vascular walls, leading to loss of flexibility.
Failure in kidney function. Failure of this organ provokes a disorder of metabolic processes involving calcium and phosphorus. If on vascular walls calcium will begin to be deposited, the risk of myocardial infarction increases significantly as thrombosis develops.

Excess weight. Additional kilograms place a strong strain on the entire cardiovascular system.
Intense sports or physical activity. During periods of such intense training, the myocardium requires a large number of nutrients and oxygen. If a person’s arteries are inelastic, then their spasm during intense activity can result in a heart attack.
Surgeries or injuries. Narrowing of the lumen of the coronary arteries often occurs as a result surgical intervention to this zone.

Statistics on how many years people live after a myocardial infarction are disappointing. Doctors' manipulations in case of a large heart attack should be quick, and decisions should be made in a matter of minutes, then you can count on a favorable prognosis.

Probability of another heart attack

Second attack of myocardial infarction more dangerous than the first. Relapse is more often observed in elderly males who suffer from arterial hypertension accompanying a person during the first year after myocardial infarction, and the Q wave was absent. Such a disease can occur with the presence of multiple asthmatic disorders, organ rhythm disorders, and heart failure. The clinical picture of a recurrent attack appears less pronounced relative to the intensity of the pain, which is due to a decrease in the sensitivity of areas of the heart that were previously susceptible to necrosis.

Symptoms of a recurrent heart attack:

difficulty breathing;
pain radiating to the neck, arm or shoulder on the left;
decrease in blood pressure;
severe suffocation;
cyanosis (blue skin);
impaired consciousness or fainting.

Such symptoms are a consequence of severe swelling of the lung tissue, which occurs as a result terminal conditions sick.

No one can accurately predict whether there will be a second myocardial infarction and how long people live after it. Some patients follow all the recommendations of the attending physician and protect themselves from negative impacts stress and take all the prescribed medications, but the attack overtakes them again. Other patients refuse to take medications, lead their previous lifestyle without limiting themselves in any way, and their health remains good.

Doctors divide repeated heart attack and its recurrent type. The difference is that a repeated attack of the disease occurs more than 2 months after the first, and a recurrent attack appears earlier, less than 2 months after the previous one. The second time, the pathology can be large-focal or small-focal. In addition, the lesion can cover the same areas as before, or be localized in another part of the myocardium.

The reasons for the re-development of this disease usually lie in the same atherosclerosis. Plaques can grow in the coronary vessels, causing them to narrow.

Atherosclerosis does not disappear anywhere, even after a heart attack, so you need to carefully monitor the level of cholesterol in the blood and try to reduce it with the help of medications prescribed by the doctor.

In order to live a long life after a heart attack, people need to reduce low-density lipoproteins ( bad cholesterol) and protect yourself from emotional and physical activity, establish proper diet and give up bad habits.

Rehabilitation period

The recovery stage after myocardial infarction can last differently. This process is influenced by many factors.

What determines the duration and nature of rehabilitation:

concomitant diseases;
severity of the attack;
presence of complications;
the patient's occupation;
age data.

During the recovery period, a person needs to reconsider his lifestyle, habits and preferences.

Rehabilitation includes:

proper nutrition;
absence stressful situations and unrest;
physical activity that needs to be developed gradually;
visits to a psychologist;
taking all medications prescribed by a doctor;
weight loss, if it is excess;
rejection of bad habits;
regular examinations and consultations with the treating doctor.

Nutrition for patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction is divided into 3 stages. general description diet can be seen in diet menu No. 10.

The first step is the table of a person who is in an acute period of illness. Meals include dishes without added salt, boiled or cooked in a double boiler. It is better to eat pureed food, in small amounts, but often, 5-6 times a day. Liquid is also limited, 0.8 liters per day is enough.
In the second or third week of the post-infarction period, the patient's menu changes slightly. You need to prepare food in the same way, but you can eat it not pureed, but lightly chopped. The diet is fractional, and water is allowed in a volume of about 1 liter.
The scarring stage may allow inhibitions to be slightly reduced. The method of preparing dishes remains the same, but it is permissible to eat them in pieces, and the doctor often allows salt, but in the amount of 4 grams per day, and only for some patients. Eating should be done frequently, up to 5-4 times a day.

There is a special menu preferred for such patients. These foods and dishes contain large amounts useful elements, especially necessary for people who have suffered a myocardial infarction. When discharged from the hospital, you should ask your doctor to draw up a similar memo, with the help of which it will be easier for patients to navigate when developing a personal diet.

Recommended menu:

low-fat fish;
lean meat, better chicken or veal;
soups made from pureed vegetables and cereals;
fermented milk drinks with a low fat content;
egg white omelet;
bread, crackers;
butter is acceptable to a minimum, and by the 3rd stage up to 10 grams is possible;
boiled vegetables, stew;
baked fruits;
drinks in the form of fruit drinks, compotes, loosely brewed teas, rose hips;
natural honey

There are many dietary restrictions; you need to exclude from your diet a large number of foods that can negatively affect the health and activity of the human heart.

What is prohibited:

When the body recovers, dietary restrictions can be lifted, but this must be done gradually and only under the supervision of a doctor.

Emotional overload often provokes serious health problems, especially with heart disease. After a myocardial infarction, the patient should absolutely not be nervous, since any excitement can cause a rhythm disorder in the main organ and lead to vasospasm, which provokes a repeat attack. To cope with emotions and survive the illness, the patient is prescribed a course of therapy with a psychologist. The doctor will help you recover, without manifestations of nervousness and fear.

Physical activity is necessary for such people, but all actions are coordinated with the doctor. Within a few days after the attack, patients are allowed to get out of bed and walk around the ward a little. Walking in the fresh air allows a little later, and the distance that such a person can walk increases gradually. With the help of physical activity, it is possible to restore normal blood circulation and heart function. It is important during sports warm-ups not to bring the situation to the point of pain or other unpleasant sensations, this can provoke a recurrent attack. Exercise therapy procedures are prescribed to many patients after a heart attack. During these sessions, all stress on a person is controlled by a specialist.

Rehabilitation measures should not fade into the background if your health has improved. The duration of this period is regulated only by doctors, and you cannot stop these actions on your own.

Traditional treatment

Plants and other homemade medicines can help you recover from such an illness. But before using any of these remedies, you need to coordinate your actions with your doctor.

Methods traditional therapy:

Sprouted wheat. Take several glasses of wheat and soak them in gauze with water. Wait until sprouts appear (it will take several days). Break off these sprouts and eat 1 teaspoon in the morning on an empty stomach.
Hawthorn. Pour one tablespoon of dried hawthorn fruit into a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain and drink. You need to take 2 glasses of this drink per day.
Honey and rowan. Take 2 kg of honey and 1 kg fresh fruits rowan. Grind the berries and mix with honey. Eat 1 tablespoon throughout the day.

The prognosis for myocardial infarction is impossible to predict, but every person is able to help himself. By following all the doctor’s recommendations and additionally using folk therapy, people improve their well-being and heart activity, thereby reducing the risk fatal outcome and a second attack.

During a heart attack, a section of heart tissue as a result oxygen starvation dies and a scar forms.

There may be several such scars, and a person may learn that he has previously had a heart attack during hospitalization in cardiology due to a new heart attack.

After each heart attack, a scar is formed, which can impair the contraction of the heart muscle. Blood will circulate through organs and systems not in the same volume and rhythm, but with disturbances. Why can't the heart muscles contract like they used to?

Because the resulting scar blocks the electrical impulse that causes the heart muscle to work. Due to this blockage, rhythmic contractions occur, gradually leading to heart failure.

A person cannot avoid the consequences of necrosis; the functionality of the heart will be limited by the size of the affected area. After a heart attack, some organs will not receive enough blood and nutrients in it.

Popular causes of heart attack

One of the main reasons that often undermines man's health, began smoking. When smoking cigarettes, the lungs receive microtraumas, resulting in the formation of blood clots. Particles of lung tissue break off and move through the bloodstream into the coronary arteries of the heart, where they can clog the lumen and provoke a heart attack.

Another reason that causes damage to the heart muscle is overeating, abuse of fatty and high-calorie foods with high cholesterol content. On the walls blood vessels Cholesterol plaques form, which narrows the lumen of blood vessels and slows down blood circulation, in the long term fraught with the formation of blood clots and heart attack.

Physical inactivity due to a sedentary lifestyle is a significant factor due to which many people are hospitalized every year with heart disease. By ignoring the need for physical activity, a person spends little energy and consumes a lot of calories.

As a result, the body becomes overgrown with fat and the muscles weaken. Why is this scenario dangerous? The fact that its consequences are manifested in insufficient blood supply to various parts of the body, to the point that some arteries die and the circulatory system degrades. This can lead to blockage of the heart arteries.

Other causes that provoke a heart attack and its consequences are diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, overexertion due to arrhythmia, and kidney pathologies. Each of these factors can by itself cause pathology of the heart muscle or in combination with other reasons.

Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor on time. How long and well one can live is related to how a person organizes his life, what he does to improve its quality, and what measures he takes to prevent various diseases.

How lifestyle changes

The fact that the consequences of a heart attack in men and women are inevitable is not a reason to give up on oneself, considering oneself inferior. Over time, you can recover, it all depends on the age at which the microinfarction occurred in men and how large the area is affected.

The only thing is that a person will have to remember about the disease and change his lifestyle, many habits taking into account new feature body. In particular, bad habits are out of the question.

The doctor will prescribe medications that need to be taken to prevent a relapse and compensate for the negative consequences of a heart attack. A scar forms in place of the heart tissue where blood did not flow.

With small scar sizes, neighboring cardiomyocytes will work instead of dead heart muscle tissue, and then the organ will work at full capacity. But if a person has a large scar on his heart, then he is likely to develop arrhythmia in the future.

Initially, a person who has suffered from heart disease is interested in how the world in which he lives will change, or more precisely, his role in this world. In particular, active patients are interested in predictions about the timing of return to work.

The recovery period lasts from 2 weeks to several months, depending on the patient’s age, concomitant diseases, and the severity of the heart attack. Making a prognosis for myocardial infarction regarding work activity, the doctor examines the activity itself.

If it is associated with heavy physical labor, you will have to give it up for a while or forever, otherwise your life expectancy after a heart attack will be short. The law provides recommendations for employers to find suitable employment for employees during the recovery period after such a serious illness.

How does health change after a heart attack?

Doctors know that the consequences of myocardial infarction can manifest themselves at a physiological and psychological level. Angina pectoris may be a concern - this is a reason to consult a doctor.

It is important to notify your doctor about your condition if such attacks of angina occur frequently, not only during physical activity, but also during calm state. Seriously speaking, the consequences of a myocardial infarction may indicate an impending second heart attack. The new attack will be more severe than the previous one.

Often life after a heart attack is complicated by the presence negative emotions, ranging from bad mood to depression and fear of death. Often deterioration emotional state occurs against a background of increased aggression. Anger indicates the presence of fear caused by discomfort in the sternum and the risk of facing a relapse of the disease.

If you constantly think about myocardial infarction, the consequences cannot be positive, since the person does not feel like a full-fledged part of society, but is waiting for death. Such isolation does not bode well; it is fraught with isolation from the world and violation familiar image life, a surge of negative emotions.

It is not necessary to try to treat psychological trauma on your own. It is better to consult your doctor or psychologist, who will tell you that life after a myocardial infarction is not as scary as disability due to the loss of a limb, tumor, etc.

Prevention of recurrent heart attack

As soon as the recovery period allows you to return to normal life, you need to think about how to prevent a possible relapse of the disease. It is more convenient to start from the reasons that provoked the attack and all the consequences of a microinfarction. E If the provoking factor was smoking a pack of cigarettes every day, it is logical to get rid of thoughts about smoking once and for all. If this is not done, there is a huge risk that you will soon have to ask your doctor how long they live after a second heart attack.

Many men, who experience heart attacks more often than women, “sin” by smoking, overeating, physical inactivity and unhealthy culinary preferences. It is difficult to give up all bad habits and completely rebuild your lifestyle, but if you don’t want a heart attack in men to cause consequences in the form of paralysis, unclear speech, shortness of breath and the inability to be physically active, then it’s time to set priorities and choose what is more important.

You won’t be able to immediately become a runner from being a couch potato, and it’s not necessary. Instead of lying on the couch for an hour, it’s enough to take time for a walk or ride a bike. Instead of tasting strong alcoholic drinks, you can get carried away by tasting different varieties green tea. You can ask your doctor if you can go to the gym.

It is better to start with exercise therapy so that, under the supervision of a trainer, you can perform those exercises that will be appropriate in terms of load. As for nutrition, vegetables and fruits should predominate in the diet, and fats, salt and sugar should be minimized. The listed measures will not only reduce the risk of a second heart attack, but will have a beneficial effect on general state health.

Considering the question of why a heart attack is dangerous in women and men, there are practically no differences. It is more difficult for the stronger sex to subsequently give up serious physical activity, since for many this is the main activity. As for the stress on the heart during intimate relationships, it will be difficult for men here - since they are the ones who usually play the dominant role.

Sexual relationships are a burden on circulatory system, a surge of emotions and excitement. Here a man needs to assess his physical readiness by comparing his state of health before and after a heart attack. If the activity is equal to what it was before, then you can not deny yourself active intimate relationships.

This concerns the physical aspect. As for the psycho-emotional stress, at first you don’t have to resort to stimulants in the form of erotic underwear, videos, pills, etc. Let the body gradually increase its power, returning to its former activity. There is no need to rush. If you behave correctly after an illness such as myocardial infarction, the prognosis is favorable.

How to live after a heart attack

After an illness such as a microinfarction, the consequences can be minimized if you adhere to the golden mean in the matter of work and rest.

Heavy work should be avoided, since it causes increased contractions of the heart muscle, and the scar on the heart is still weak and can be damaged due to excessive stress. To prevent a repeat attack, the doctor will advise which exercise regimen is preferable, how to eat and what to do for the first time after the illness.

The diet should contain foods that help lower blood pressure and normalize blood circulation in the body. It is necessary to minimize the amount of animal fats in the diet, since they become a source of cholesterol that is harmful to blood vessels.

Fatty meat, fish, lard and sour cream will “deposit” on the walls of blood vessels cholesterol plaques, causing a heart attack. Salty and spicy seasonings are also useless, as are alcoholic drinks. This does not bring any health benefits, only harm. Vegetables, lean fish, fruits, low fat dairy products, cereals are the basis of a healthy diet.

You need to regularly undergo a preventive examination, take blood and urine tests, undergo an ECG, ultrasound as prescribed by a doctor. At first, life after a heart attack is associated with the prevention of complications. You can find out how well the recovery is going by the absence of signs of heart failure (no pain in the sternum), normal level blood sugar and cholesterol, blood pressure stability. If the listed indicators are close to normal, then the risk of another heart attack is minimized.

How long you can live after a heart attack depends on the patient himself, and this is confirmed by numerous cases in medical practice. Patients who follow doctors' recommendations were able to recover physically and psychologically. Every doctor's advice must be taken into account.

A well-designed activity like exercise therapy can be harmful if you don't measure your heart rate after exercise. In addition to exercise, walking is a must. Simple walking close to home can do more than any gymnastics. The role of diet should not be underestimated; a person’s weight should be within normal limits, no matter what they say about it in the media.

Calculate optimal weight The body will be helped by a doctor; you can contact him not only if there is a pathology, but in order to prevent its occurrence. Those who treat their body with respect and attention manage to avoid many diseases, and in case of illness, recover faster and return to normal life.

Extensive infarction is the most dangerous form heart attack. It poses a serious threat to human health and life.

Many people are unaware that pathological processes are developing in their body. Diseases of cardio-vascular system long time may occur hidden. A critical condition occurs unexpectedly and without visible reasons. If the victim is not given immediate medical assistance at this moment, he may die.

What is a major myocardial infarction?

Myocardial infarction is called pathological condition heart muscle, in which part of its tissue dies. An extensive heart attack is accompanied by large-scale lesions of the heart.

Necrosis (death) most often occurs in the left ventricle, in its anterior wall. This part of the organ bears a large functional load. It is from here that blood is pushed under high pressure into the aorta. In some patients, the pathological process extends to the right ventricle, and in 30% of patients the atria are affected.

With an extensive infarction, damage to all layers of the heart muscle (epicardium, myocardium and endocardium) is observed. The area of dead tissue can be up to 8 cm wide.
Necrosis of myocardial cells is a consequence of a critical lack of nutrients and oxygen. Partial or complete lack of nutrition occurs as a result of a serious violation of coronary blood flow.

Most often, the blood supply to the heart tissue deteriorates gradually. On the walls coronary vessels deposits of fatty protein masses appear. Their appearance is promoted by high levels of low-density cholesterol in the blood. Over time, connective tissue grows into the deposits, forming atherosclerotic plaques.

Atherosclerosis

As the plaque size increases, the lumen of the vessels becomes increasingly narrow. With this state of the cardiovascular system, any external influence (physical activity, stress, smoking or sudden jump blood pressure) can cause detachment of part of the plaque and damage to the vessel walls. Injured vascular tissue is restored with the formation of a blood clot. Later, the blood clots increase in size and fill the lumen of the vessel. Sometimes they can reach 1 cm in length, completely blocking the affected artery and stopping the blood supply.
The formation of a blood clot is accompanied by the release special substances, provoking vasospasm. Spasms can occur in a small area of the artery or cover it completely. During a spasm, a complete blockage of blood flow may occur, leading to inevitable necrosis of heart tissue. 15 minutes after blood circulation stops, heart muscle cells begin to die. And after 6-8 hours, an extensive heart attack develops.

Necrotic heart tissue is replaced connective tissue. A post-infarction scar forms at the site of the lesion.

Factors provoking myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction

Exist various reasons development of a pathological condition:

Symptoms of extensive myocardial infarction

People who had the opportunity to learn what a massive myocardial infarction was experienced severe pressing and burning pain in the chest. Painful sensations may also occur in the left arm, in the neck and shoulder blades on the left side. Some report atypical pain in the chest or right arm.

During a heart attack, there is a sharp decrease in blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat. The pulse becomes uneven or rapid. The patient is “thrown” into cold sweat. He breathes irregularly, feels weak and dizzy. Skin the victim becomes pale or cyanotic. He may experience nausea, vomiting, or sharp pain in the stomach. The patient may lose consciousness.

For acute period after a heart attack (4-8 days), an area of necrosis forms. During this period, the pain becomes less pronounced and blood pressure rises. The patient suffers from signs of heart failure - shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat.

From the second week after the attack, the process of scar formation begins. By the end of the month, blood pressure and heart rate normalize, and the pain disappears.

In the post-infarction period, the formed scar becomes denser, the heart muscle adapts to new conditions and develops compensatory mechanisms. This helps victims survive after a major heart attack.

The patient may sometimes experience shortness of breath and disturbances heart rate. The post-infarction period lasts up to six months.

In the post-infarction period, complications of the disease may appear.

Consequences of extensive myocardial infarction

When a massive heart attack occurs, the consequences, chances of survival - everything depends on the patient and his relatives. The sooner it is provided health care the victim, the less likely complications will develop.

A heart attack can cause cardiac arrest and death. Often he calls state of shock and pulmonary edema.

Necrosis of the tissues of the ventricle can provoke rupture of its walls. During an attack, in some cases the functioning of the mitral valve(regurgitation). Changes in the conductivity of cardiac impulses cause the appearance of various types arrhythmias. A complication of extensive myocardial infarction can be paralysis of the limbs.

Organ dysfunction occurs as a result of drug therapy, which is provided to the victim during resuscitation measures. Respiratory dysfunction may occur due to the use of narcotic analgesics. After administration of streptokinase, it often develops arterial hypotension. The patient may experience autoimmune complications.

Rehabilitation after a major heart attack

After a major heart attack, it is necessary to radically change your life and eliminate or minimize provoking factors. If heart attack reoccurs, the likelihood of survival will be negligible.

Rejection of bad habits

The patient must quit smoking and alcohol. You should completely review your daily diet and potentially exclude dangerous products. These include fatty varieties meat, sausages, sausages, pickles, smoked meats, seasonings, strong tea and coffee.

Excessive physical activity and stressful situations should be avoided. If they are work-related, you should think about changing your occupation and choosing a quieter profession.

It is important to regularly go outdoors and ventilate the room. The patient will be prescribed a course physical therapy for recovery after a long period bed rest. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the recommendations of the attending physician.

Drug therapy during the post-infarction period is aimed at normalizing blood pressure, restoring heart rate, eliminating cardiovascular failure and treating concomitant diseases.

It is desirable that rehabilitation after a heart attack be carried out in a sanatorium-resort environment under the supervision of doctors.

What is the prognosis after a massive heart attack?

No doctor can say how long they live after a massive heart attack and whether a second attack will occur. A person's health depends on his desire to change his habits forever. After a massive heart attack, the heart can no longer perform its functions as before. As a result of the attack, irreversible changes occurred in the tissues of the heart muscle. Therefore, it will not be possible to lead the same lifestyle as before the attack. Those patients who neglect the recommendations of their doctor and do not give up bad habits rarely survive a recurrent myocardial infarction.

Giving up bad habits, changing your diet, rehabilitation in comfortable conditions and good care will minimize the risk of a recurrent attack. Regular observation by your doctor will make it possible to detect dangerous symptoms in time and prevent the development of pathological processes. If you take good care of your health, it is quite possible to live to old age without losing quality of life.