Recovery. Many doctors perform stress tests on patients who have had a heart attack to determine their risk of having another attack or dying suddenly. Patients with abnormal stress tests may be advised to consider angioplasty or bypass surgery. People without complications are sent home for recovery and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation seeks to restore good health through a program that includes gradual increase in exercise and proper diet. The program may also include drugs to control such conditions as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Most patients can do light work in 30 days. Complete recovery from an attack that leaves thick scars on the heart may take up to three months.
If you've had a heart attack, you will probably go home from hospital with lots of new medicines. This can be confusing. If you're not sure what they all are, ask your doctor. The medicines you are most likely to take are listed below.You will probably need to take them for many months, and maybe years.
Aspirin makes your blood less sticky, so you are less likely to get a blood clot that could cause a heart attack. Research shows taking one low-dose aspirin every day cuts your risk of having another heart attack by about a third. If you're allergic to aspirin or can't take it for some other reason, your doctor may give you another drug to stop your blood clotting, for example clopidogrel (Plavix) or dipyridamole (Persantin).
Beta-blockers slow your heart down and make it beat less strongly. Because it's working less hard, it needs less oxygen. This reduces your risk of having another heart attack. There are lots of different types. Some common ones are atenolol (Tenormin), carvedilol (Eucardic) and metoprolol (Lopresor).
Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood. They reduce the risk of heart attacks for most people. People who are at highest risk of having another heart attack seem to benefit the most. Some names of statins are atorvastatin (Lipitor), pravastatin (Lipostat) and simvastatin (Zocor).
ACE inhibitors keep your blood vessels from getting narrower. They are especially useful if your heart is not pumping as well as it used to. They should reduce your risk of another heart attack. But they're not used for everyone. Some names of ACE inhibitors are captopril (Capoten) and enalapril (Innovace).
All these drugs can cause side effects. As you read this, remember you won't get all of them. If you are troubled by side effects, talk to your doctor.You may be able to switch to another medicine, or a lower dose.
Aspirin can cause stomach upsets. Also, because it makes your blood less sticky, you may find cuts bleed for longer. There is a small chance you could get bleeding from the stomach. But this is not very likely, because the dose of aspirin is low.
Beta-blockers lower your blood pressure. This can make you feel tired, and you might feel dizzy if you stand up quickly. Some men find beta-blockers make it difficult for them to get an erection. And beta-blockers can make some lung problems worse. If you have asthma or chronic bronchitis, make sure your doctor knows before you take beta-blockers.
Most people don't get side effects from statins. But they can cause muscle pain or damage.Tell your doctor if you get muscle pain when taking statins. Some people taking statins have had liver and kidney damage, but doctors are not sure that the statins caused the problems.
Many people find ACE inhibitors can cause a dry cough.They may also cause low blood pressure and kidney problems.
Other treatments
Some people who have a heart attack have an operation called an angioplasty, to widen the artery that got blocked. It can be done as an emergency operation, instead of dissolving the blood clot with drugs.
If you didn't have an angioplasty, but tests show that your heart arteries are narrow, you might have an angioplasty at a later stage. This can reduce your chances of having chest pain (angina) and of having another heart attack. Or you might have an angioplasty if you start getting chest pain after you've gone home from hospital.
To carry out an angioplasty, a surgeon feeds a thin deflated balloon into your heart artery, through a tube into a blood vessel in your groin. When the balloon is in the right place, the surgeon inflates it, so it widens the artery. Then it's taken out again. Sometimes a small metal tube (called a stent) will be inserted, to keep the artery open.
