Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “heart attack”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Marriage and the psychological consequences of a heart attack: a longitudinal study of adaptation to chronic illness after 3 years.

As part of a larger study on recovery from myocardial infarction in a national sample of male cardiac patients, data was collected on slightly under 400 men and their wives over a 5-year period. This longitudinal data set was used to investigate the role of patient health cognitions and marital factors on long-term psychological response to the illness. Negative appraisals of threat and loss due to cardiac impairment/disability were found to be the best predictor of anxiety and depression at 3-4 years after hospitalisation. Patient cognitions appeared to be a chief mediator of medically-defined illness. Supportive marital environments were defined by scales measuring intimate attachment and spouse conflict. The latter was found associated with negative health cognitions and elevated anxiety. High intimacy marriages appeared to provide adequate social support, and the level of intimacy between the spouses was inversely related to the level of depressed mood. These findings were suggestive of a buffering effect of the patient's social support system. Other predictors, including the type A pattern, 'vital exhaustion', and social class were investigated as components of a multifactorial model for clinical screening purposes.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Causes of delay in seeking treatment for heart attack symptoms.

With the advent of thrombolytic therapy and other coronary reperfusion strategies, rapid identification and treatment of acute myocardial infarction greatly reduces mortality. Unfortunately, many patients delay seeking medical care and miss the benefits afforded by recent advances in treatment. Studies have shown that the median time from onset of symptoms to seeking care ranges from 2 to 61/2 hours, while optimal benefit is derived during the first hour from symptom onset. The phenomenon of delay by AMI patients and those around them needs to be understood prior to the design of education and counseling strategies to reduce delay. In this article the literature is reviewed and variables that increase patient delay are identified. A theoretical model based on the health belief model, a self regulation model of illness cognition, and interactionist role theory is proposed to explain the response of an individual to the signs and symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. Finally, recommendations are made for future research.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1984

The combined role of atheroma, cholesterol, platelets, the endothelium and fibrin in heart attacks and strokes.

In 1920 the typical American diet was rich in cholesterol and fat, especially saturated animal fat, with one-third the polyunsaturated vegetable fat as now; yet in that year, death from myocardial infarction (MI) in the United States was so rare that it had no name or medical recognition. In 1960, when MI deaths in the United States had soared to an alarming rate of 600,000, orthodox medicine concluded that cholesterol and saturated animal fat in food caused elevated cholesterol in blood, which caused cholesterol in atheroma, which in turn caused death from MI and strokes. It is suggested that human atheroma is made up mostly of fibers of either collagen or fibrin, smooth-muscle cells or dead smooth-muscle cells, that it contains but little cholesterol, and that it is present in both men and women and in populations having little or no MI as well as in those where MI is the greatest cause of death. It is suggested that MI is largely caused by coronary blood clots formed at the site of a break in the coronary artery endothelium; that the introduction of a new, unnatural dietary fatty acid--trans-trans linoleic acid--in margarine and refined vegetable oils in the 1920s, by inducing a deficiency of beneficial prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) while greatly increasing harmful thromboxane A2 (TXA2), caused vasoconstriction while the clumping of platelets was greatly increased, giving rise to the coronary blood clots that either cause or are part of the fatal process of MI. It is suggested that in fostering the increase of dietary trans-trans linoleic acid in polyunsaturated vegetable fats at the expense of saturated animal fat, orthodox medicine is fostering a principle cause of MI as the cure.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

How soon after quitting smoking does risk of heart attack decline?

A population-based case-control study (involving 1282 cases and 2068 controls) was conducted to examine the risk of myocardial infarction or coronary death after cigarette smokers quit smoking. The odds ratios for current smokers were significantly elevated compared to non-smokers (OR = 2.7 for men and OR = 4.7 for women). For ex-smokers odds ratios declined rapidly after quitting and after about 3 years they were not significantly different from unity. Fibrinogen concentrations measured in the controls only were higher in current smokers and ex-smokers up to 2 years after quitting than in non-smokers and after that time were similar to levels in non-smokers; however, most of the differences among categories of smokers were not statistically significant. These results support the hypothesis that risk of a coronary event in ex-smokers declines rapidly after quitting and within 2-3 years is similar to the risk for non-smokers.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Gender and age differences in chief complaints of acute myocardial infarction (Worcester Heart Attack Study).

We examined gender and age differences for chief symptom complaints in a population-based sample of 881 women (43%) and 1,192 men (57%) hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Women, in particular older women, were less likely than men to have a chief complaint of chest pain associated with AMI. Overall, a large proportion of women and men whose AMI was ultimately diagnosed did not present with chest pain as their chief complaint.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2004

A 25-year perspective into the changing landscape of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (the Worcester Heart Attack Study).

Over the past several decades, significant advances have been made in the primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease. However, effects of changing lifestyle and treatment practices on demographic and clinical profiles and on hospital outcomes of patients who present with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have not been well characterized. We carried out a prospective population-based investigation of >25-year trends (1975 to 2001) in demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment practices, and hospital outcomes of patients who had been hospitalized with AMI. Residents of a metropolitan area (Worcester, Massachusetts) who had been hospitalized with validated AMI (n = 10,440) in all greater Worcester hospitals during thirteen 1-year periods between 1975 and 2001 comprised the sample of interest. Patients who had been hospitalized during the most recent study years were significantly older, were more likely to be women, and had a greater prevalence of co-morbidities. Hospitalized patients were increasingly more likely to receive effective cardiac medications and coronary interventions over the period under investigation. Multivariable-adjusted hospital survival rates improved considerably over time, whereas different trends were observed in the occurrence of several important clinical complications. The present results provide insights into the changing characteristics of patients who are hospitalized with AMI, treatment practices, and their short-term outcomes. Given the magnitude of AMI and evolving approaches to manage it, continued monitoring of these trends remains of considerable clinical and public health importance.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke: what's the right dose?

Despite hundreds of clinical trials, the appropriate dose of aspirin to prevent myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke is uncertain. In the US, the doses most frequently recommended are 80, 160, or 325 mg per day. Because aspirin can cause major bleeding, the appropriate dose is the lowest dose that is effective in preventing both MI and stroke because these two diseases frequently co-exist. Five randomized clinical trials have compared aspirin with placebo or no therapy for the prevention of stroke and MI. These trials varied with regard to the dose of aspirin, the duration of treatment, and, most important, the populations selected for study varied in their baseline risk of stroke and MI. In men, 160 mg/day consistently lowered the risk of MI. In women, doses of 50 mg, 75, and 100 mg/day did not significantly decrease the risk of MI; therefore, the appropriate dose in women must exceed 100 mg/day. The appropriate dose for the primary prevention of stroke in men and women has not been established. Doses of 75 and 100 mg/day have been ineffective in men and women. The appropriate dose must be at least 160 mg/day. The lowest dose to prevent recurrent MI or death in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) is 75 mg/day. In acute MI the lowest dose is 160 mg/day. In patients with a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), 50 mg/day has been shown to be effective in men and women. In acute stroke, 160 mg/day is effective in preventing recurrent stroke or death. The risk of major bleeding with 160 mg/day is the same as with 80 mg/day: 1 to 2 cases per 1000 patient years of treatment, and the risk of fatal bleeding is the same with 80 and 160 mg/day. These studies indicate that the most appropriate dose for the primary and secondary prevention of stroke and MI is 160 mg/day.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: recommendations on triage of patients to heart attack centers: is it time for a national policy for the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction?

Despite substantial progress in the diagnosis and treatment of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), implementation of this knowledge into routine clinical practice has been variable. It has become increasing clear that primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the preferred method of reperfusion if it can be performed in a timely manner. Recent European data suggest that transfer for direct PCI may also be preferable to fibrinolytic therapy. We believe it is time to establish a national policy for treatment of patients with STEMI to develop a coordinated system of care similar to that of the level 1 trauma system.

Electrocardiography↗