Acute coronary syndrome
Definition :
Acute coronary syndrome is a term used for any condition brought on by sudden, reduced blood flow to the heart. Acute coronary syndrome can describe chest pain you feel during a heart attack, or chest pain you feel while you're at rest or doing light physical activity (unstable angina).
Acute coronary syndrome is often diagnosed in an emergency room or hospital.
Acute coronary syndrome is treatable if diagnosed quickly. Acute coronary syndrome treatments vary, depending on your signs, symptoms and overall health condition.
Symptoms:
Many acute coronary syndrome symptoms are the same as those of a heart attack. And if acute coronary syndrome isn't treated quickly, a heart attack will occur. It's important to take acute coronary syndrome symptoms very seriously. Get medical help right away if you have these signs and symptoms and think you're having a heart attack:
If you're having chest pain and you believe it's an emergency situation, seek medical help immediately. Whenever possible, get emergency medical assistance rather than driving yourself to the hospital. You could be having a heart attack.
If you have recurring chest pain, talk to your doctor. It could be a form of angina, and your doctor can help you decide the best course of treatment.
Causes:
Acute coronary syndrome may develop slowly over time by the building up of plaques in the arteries in your heart. These plaques, made up of fatty deposits, cause the arteries to narrow and make it more difficult for blood to flow through them. This buildup of plaques is known as atherosclerosis. Eventually, this buildup means that your heart can't pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body, causing chest pain (angina) or a heart attack.
Another medical term closely related to acute coronary syndrome is coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease refers to the damage to your heart arteries from atherosclerosis.
If one of the plaques in your coronary arteries ruptures, it can cause a heart attack. In fact, many instances of coronary artery syndrome develop after a plaque ruptures. A blood clot will form on the site of the rupture, blocking the flow of blood through that artery.
Treatments and drugs:
Treatment for acute coronary syndrome varies, depending on your symptoms and how blocked your arteries are.
Medications
It's likely that your doctor will recommend medications that can relieve chest pain and improve flow through the heart. These could include:
If medications aren't enough to restore blood flow through your heart, your doctor may recommend one of these procedures:
Acute coronary syndrome is a term used for any condition brought on by sudden, reduced blood flow to the heart. Acute coronary syndrome can describe chest pain you feel during a heart attack, or chest pain you feel while you're at rest or doing light physical activity (unstable angina).
Acute coronary syndrome is often diagnosed in an emergency room or hospital.
Acute coronary syndrome is treatable if diagnosed quickly. Acute coronary syndrome treatments vary, depending on your signs, symptoms and overall health condition.
Symptoms:
Many acute coronary syndrome symptoms are the same as those of a heart attack. And if acute coronary syndrome isn't treated quickly, a heart attack will occur. It's important to take acute coronary syndrome symptoms very seriously. Get medical help right away if you have these signs and symptoms and think you're having a heart attack:
- Chest pain (angina) that feels like burning, pressure or tightness and lasts several minutes or longer
- Pain elsewhere in the body, such as the left upper arm or jaw (referred pain)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
- Sudden, heavy sweating (diaphoresis)
- Abdominal pain
- Pain similar to heartburn
- Clammy skin
- Lightheadedness, dizziness or fainting
- Unusual or unexplained fatigue
- Feeling restless or apprehensive
If you're having chest pain and you believe it's an emergency situation, seek medical help immediately. Whenever possible, get emergency medical assistance rather than driving yourself to the hospital. You could be having a heart attack.
If you have recurring chest pain, talk to your doctor. It could be a form of angina, and your doctor can help you decide the best course of treatment.
Causes:
Acute coronary syndrome may develop slowly over time by the building up of plaques in the arteries in your heart. These plaques, made up of fatty deposits, cause the arteries to narrow and make it more difficult for blood to flow through them. This buildup of plaques is known as atherosclerosis. Eventually, this buildup means that your heart can't pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body, causing chest pain (angina) or a heart attack.
Another medical term closely related to acute coronary syndrome is coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease refers to the damage to your heart arteries from atherosclerosis.
If one of the plaques in your coronary arteries ruptures, it can cause a heart attack. In fact, many instances of coronary artery syndrome develop after a plaque ruptures. A blood clot will form on the site of the rupture, blocking the flow of blood through that artery.
Treatments and drugs:
Treatment for acute coronary syndrome varies, depending on your symptoms and how blocked your arteries are.
Medications
It's likely that your doctor will recommend medications that can relieve chest pain and improve flow through the heart. These could include:
- Aspirin. Aspirin decreases blood clotting, helping to keep blood flowing through narrowed heart arteries. Aspirin is one of the first things you may be given in the emergency room for suspected acute coronary syndrome. You may be asked to chew the aspirin, so it's absorbed into your bloodstream more quickly. If your doctor diagnoses your symptoms as acute coronary syndrome, he or she may recommend taking aspirin daily.
- Thrombolytics. These drugs, also called clotbusters, help dissolve a blood clot that's blocking blood flow to your heart. If you're having a heart attack, the earlier you receive a thrombolytic drug after a heart attack, the greater the chance you will survive and lessen the damage to your heart.
- Nitroglycerin. This medication for treating chest pain and angina temporarily widens narrowed blood vessels, improving blood flow to and from your heart.
- Beta blockers. These drugs help relax your heart muscle, slow your heart rate and decrease your blood pressure, which decreases the demand on your heart. These medications can increase blood flow through your heart, decreasing chest pain and the potential for damage to your heart during a heart attack.
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). These drugs allow blood to flow from your heart more easily. Your doctor may prescribe ACE inhibitors or ARBs if you've had a moderate to severe heart attack that has reduced your heart's pumping capacity. These drugs also lower blood pressure and may prevent a second heart attack.
- Calcium channel blockers. These medications relax the heart and allow more blood to flow to and from the heart. Calcium channel blockers are generally given if symptoms persist after you've taken nitroglycerin and beta blockers.
- Cholesterol-lowering drugs. Commonly used drugs known as statins can lower your cholesterol levels, making plaque deposits less likely. The goal of statin therapy is to reduce the low density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels to under 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
- Clopidogrel. The medication clopidogrel (Plavix) can help prevent blood clots from forming by making your blood platelets less likely to stick together. However, clopidogrel increases your risk of bleeding, so be sure to let everyone on your health care team know that you're taking it, particularly if you need any type of surgery.
If medications aren't enough to restore blood flow through your heart, your doctor may recommend one of these procedures:
- Angioplasty and stenting. In this procedure, your doctor inserts a long, thin tube (catheter) into the blocked or narrowed part of your artery. A wire with a deflated balloon is passed through the catheter to the narrowed area. The balloon is then inflated, compressing the deposits against your artery walls. A mesh tube (stent) is usually left in the artery to help keep the artery open. Angioplasty may also be done with laser technology.
- Coronary bypass surgery. This procedure creates an alternative route for blood to go around a blocked coronary artery.
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