Severity of Myocardial Infarction
Heart attacks can be fatal immediately, may progress to chronic disease, or may be resolved completely. The rate of hospitalization for first myocardial infarction has not changed significantly in recent years.
On the positive side, however, improved treatments significantly decreased the mortality and hospital readmission.
High-risk individuals. A heart attack is always more severe in some people:
- Elderly (particularly those who are thin)
- People with risk factors or history of myocardial
- People with heart failure
- People with diabetes
- People on dialysis for some time
Factors that increase the severity. The presence of other diseases during a heart attack can contribute to a worse prognosis:
- Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm). A very serious arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation is the leading cause of death in the short term following a heart attack. Such arrhythmias are more likely to occur in the first four hours and is associated with a high mortality rate. (Patients who are successfully treated, however, have the same long-term prognosis than those who have not had this type of arrhythmia).
- Signs of serious physical injury to the heart.
- Shock. It is a very dangerous situation which is characterized by low blood pressure, decreased urinary flow and cellular alterations. The shock occurs in 7% of heart attacks. Its incidence has not declined in recent years, although the survival rate has improved.
- Heart block, also called atrioventricular block (AV) is a disorder in which the conduction of electrical impulses through the specialized cardiac conduction system slows down or is interrupted. Although the locks are dangerous, can be effectively treated with a pacemaker, and rarely produce long-term complications in patients who survive.
Long-term results
The long-term prognosis in both the duration and quality of life after a stroke depends on the severity and the preventive measures taken later. Although currently there are no tests that can reliably predict whether another heart attack will occur, experts estimate that over 30% of fatal attacks and some subsequent surgeries could be avoided with the adoption of healthy changes in lifestyle and compliance of medical treatment. Two thirds of patients who have suffered a heart attack, however, follow the steps to prevent the next.