什么是心脏病发作?

心脏病发作很可怕. If you’ve had one, or are close to someone who has, you’re not alone. Many people survive a 心脏病 和 go on to enjoy productive lives.

在你努力恢复的过程中, the frequently asked questions below can help you better underst和 what’s happened, 以及你的心如何愈合. 知识就是力量. So use this information to live healthier 和 longer.

See how coronary artery damage leads to a 心脏病.

Heart attack questions 和 answers

什么是心脏病发作?

Your heart muscle needs oxygen to survive. A 心脏病 occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely.

View an animation of blood flow between the heart 和 lungs.

This happens when coronary arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood flow become narrowed from a buildup of fat, cholesterol 和 other substances that together are called plaque. 这个缓慢的过程被称为 动脉粥样硬化.

When plaque within a heart artery breaks, a blood clot forms around the plaque. This blood clot can block the blood flow through the artery to the heart muscle.

缺血 is a condition in which the blood flow (和 thus oxygen) is restricted or reduced in a part of the body. Cardiac ischemia is decreased blood flow 和 oxygen to the heart muscle. When damage or death to part of the heart muscle occurs due to ischemia, 这叫做心脏病发作, 或心肌梗塞(MI).

About every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a 心脏病.

为什么我没有得到任何警告?

The process of 动脉粥样硬化 may have no symptoms in its early stages. But when an artery is narrowed by over 70%, muscle pain or cramps may occur when tissue needs more oxygen than it’s able to receive.

When a coronary artery narrows 和 constricts blood flow, other nearby blood vessels that serve the heart sometimes exp和 to compensate, which may explain why there may be no warning signs.

Such a network of exp和ed nearby blood vessels is called collateral circulation, 和 it helps protect some people from 心脏病s by delivering needed blood to the heart. Collateral circulation can also develop after a 心脏病 to help the heart muscle recover.

Is my heart permanently damaged?

When a 心脏病 occurs, the heart muscle that has lost blood supply begins to suffer injury. The amount of damage to the heart muscle depends on the size of the area supplied by the blocked artery 和 the time between injury 和 treatment.

Heart muscle damaged by a 心脏病 heals by forming scar tissue. It usually takes several weeks for your heart muscle to heal. The length of time depends on the extent of your injury 和 your rate of healing.

心脏是一个坚硬的器官. Even though part of it may have been severely injured, the rest of the heart keeps working. But, because of the damage, your heart may be weakened, 和 unable to pump as much blood as usual.

与 适当的治疗 和 生活方式的改变 after a 心脏病, further damage can be limited or prevented.

了解更多关于 心脏损伤检测.

How long will it take to recover from my 心脏病?

Talk to your health care professional about your recovery time. Heart attacks can have longer or shorter recoveries 和 complications. It depends on the size 和 location of the damage 和 treatment of your 心脏病.

在受损区域, scar tissue may form 和 doesn’t contract or pump as well as healthy muscle tissue. 结果是, the extent of damage to the heart muscle can affect how well the heart pumps blood throughout the body.

How much pumping function is lost depends on the size 和 location of the scar tissue. Most 心脏病 survivors have some degree of 冠状动脉疾病 (CAD) 和 will have to make important 生活方式的改变 和 possibly take medication to prevent a future 心脏病. Taking these steps can help you lead a full, productive life.

了解更多关于 心脏病发作后恢复.

Is all chest pain a 心脏病?

No. But if you have chest pain or discomfort, see a health care professional right away. One common type of chest pain is called 心绞痛. It’s a recurring discomfort that usually lasts only a few minutes. Angina occurs when your heart muscle doesn’t get the blood supply 和 oxygen that it needs 和 is a signal that you’re at higher risk of having a 心脏病.

The difference between 心绞痛 和 a 心脏病 is that 心绞痛 attacks don’t permanently damage the heart muscle.

Different types of 心绞痛 include:

• Stable 心绞痛, or 心绞痛 pectoris. It often occurs during exercise or emotional stress when your heart rate 和 blood pressure increase, 和 your heart muscle needs more oxygen. 了解更多关于稳定型心绞痛的知识.
• 不稳定性心绞痛. One of several acute coronary syndromes, it occurs while you’re resting or sleeping, or with little physical exertion. 这让人感到意外. 不稳定性心绞痛 can lead to a 心脏病 和 it should be treated as an emergency. 了解更多关于 unstable 心绞痛.

What are different medical terms for a 心脏病?

急性冠脉综合征(ACS): The umbrella term is for situations in which the blood supplied to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked. 了解更多关于ACS.

STEMI: A common name for ST-elevation myocardial infarction, it's caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery.

NSTEMI: A non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction is when an artery is partially blocked 和 severely reduces blood flow.

心肌梗死(MI): It occurs when an area of the heart muscle (myocardium) is damaged or dies after blood supply is blocked. It’s the classic medical term for a 心脏病.

冠状动脉血栓形成: It occurs when a clot is formed in one of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. It's also called coronary occlusion.

冠状动脉阻塞: An obstruction of a coronary artery that hinders blood flow to some part of the heart muscle 和 会导致心脏病发作吗.

Are there other causes of 心脏病 besides blockage?

Sometimes a coronary artery temporarily contracts or goes into spasm. When this happens, the artery narrows 和 blood flow to part of the heart muscle decreases or stops.

A spasm can occur in normal-appearing blood vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked by 动脉粥样硬化. A 严重的痉挛 会导致心脏病发作吗.

Another rare cause of 心脏病 is spontaneous coronary artery dissection (许多), which is a spontaneous tearing of the coronary artery wall.

How is a 心脏病 different from cardiac arrest?

People often use these terms to mean the same thing, but they describe different events.

A 心脏病 is when blood flow to the heart is blocked. 这是一个循环问题.

与 sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the heart malfunctions 和 suddenly stops beating. Sudden cardiac arrest is an electrical problem caused by irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias. A common 和 potentially deadly arrhythmia is 心室纤维性颤动. This happens when the heart’s lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically 和 don’t pump blood.

心脏病发作会导致 心室纤维性颤动, which in turn can cause sudden cardiac arrest. Death can occur within minutes after the heart stops.

Cardiac arrest may be reversed if 心肺复苏 (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is performed 和 a defibrillator is used within minutes to shock the heart 和 restore a normal heart rhythm.

了解更多关于 the differences between 心脏病 和 cardiac arrest. 

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