Heart Attack - Cause, Symptoms & Treatment

Heart Attack Risk Factors:
• Male
• Smoking
• Overweight
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol (LDL)
• Family history of heart attacks

Heart Attack Symptoms:
• Painful crushing or squeezing sensation in chest
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Cold, clammy feet and hands
• Heart palpitations

HEART ATTACKS (medical term: myocardial infarction) occur when the blood vessels that feed your heart are blocked by cholesterol deposits. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that can accumulate in veins and arteries.

Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood around your body. Like the rest of the muscles in your body, the heart needs blood to nourish it. Blood vessels surrounding the heart supply it with the nourishment it needs. High blood levels of cholesterol choke these vessels by accumulating and narrowing the space. A heart attack happens when your heart can no longer get enough blood and the heart muscle suffocates to death. This is called myocardial infarction. People who have a long history of diabetes may not experience the chest pain associated with a heart attack.

If you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack or see a friend or whoever in similar distress, the most important thing is get yourself or the patient to a hospital emergency department immediately.

Shanghai East International Medical Center cooperates with the Heart Center of Shanghai East Hospital and is able to offer a comprehensive, 24-hour cardiac care management program. People can contact SEIMC at (21) 5879-9999 24hrs/7 days for concerns on heart problems.

Our cardiologist and primary care physicians will stabilize you upon arrival before transferring you to an intensive care unit in the same building. In the ICU, you will receive treatment to open up the blocked coronary artery.

The cardiologist and Primary Care Physicians at SEIMC works collaboratively with the ICU staff of Shanghai East Hospital by providing prompt follow-up and ongoing communication regarding the patient's progress. Effective treatments for heart attack are available that can decrease the chances of sudden death and long-term complications. Acting fast can save your life and limit the damage done to your heart. The Heart Center brings a full-scope, 24-hour cardiac care management program to the region.

Our Partners