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More Heart Attack Patients Pull Through Hospitalization |
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Written by Theresa Maher
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Thursday, 03 May 2007 |
Timely intervention in the form of surgical procedures like angioplasty have enabled many heart attack patients survive hospitalization, according to a new international study
The fall in heart attack death rates is attributed tohospitals following the latest guidelines for treating heart problems.
Heart failure is a condition where the heart muscle cannot pump enough blood to satisfy the requirements of the body. A heart attack by contrast occurs when there is a block that stops blood flow to the heart. According to the American Heart Association around 8 million Americans will have a heart attack each year, while another 5 million suffer heart failure.
Angioplasty is a procedure widely recommended in case of blockages in heart vessels. The surgical procedure will open up a blocked artery and allow for the smooth passage of blood. Current guidelines from the American College of Cardiology recommend that angioplasty be performed within 90 minutes of a heart attack patient entering hospital.
Clinical trials have emphasized the utility of using drugs like aspirin and beta blockers in preventing progression of heart disease to heart failure. Following the results of these trials, American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology have issued aggressive guidelines to manage heart attacks and heart failure cases.
The present study called the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events, or GRACE was led by Dr. Keith A. A. Fox, the British Heart Foundation professor of cardiology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Researchers examined data on nearly 45,000 people treated at 113 hospitals in 14 different countries. The study went on for six years from 1999 to 2006.
Researchers assessed the outcomes in patients suffering heart problems while they were hospitalized and then followed them up after six months.
According to the report published in the May 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, heart attack deaths following hospitalization fell from 8.4 percent i 1999 to 4.6 percent in 2006. New heart failure cases declined from 19.5 percent to 11 percent, while new heart attack cases also dropped from 4.8 percent to 2 percent.
Furthermore there was also a decrease in death from unstable angina where the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen. Death rate fell from 2.9 percent in 1999 to 2 percent in 2006, researchers reported.
Dr Fox said survival rates improved vastly because of the implementation of new guideline for treating heart attacks. "By applying the benefits of existing clinical trials -- as synthesized in national and international guidelines -- huge benefits for patients can be gained, and it is possible to prevent deaths and heart failure," he added.
New guidelines endorsed by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology call for extensive usage of drugs like aspirin, beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), and statins.
Dr Fox said the change in death rates over the last six years was mainly due to hospitals following the new guidelines, "The improvement is due to the combined effect of better use of anti-clotting and other heart attack drugs, and greater use of angioplasty," he added.
But the key to getting timely treatment is to reach hospitals on time. Studies have indicated patients make it within 90 minutes to two hours following a heart attack. The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have launched a new "Act in Time" campaign to create awareness among the public as regards warning signs for heart attacks.
Most heart attacks begin with pain or discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes. Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. Patients must reach hospital in time to maximize their chances of survival.
The above study stresses that surviving heart attack and heart failure is possible, but it is ultimately the patient who can determine the survival chances by reaching the hospital as quickly as possible.
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