Medical Rounds with Dr. Tal Azemi

The signs maybe subtle or hidden - were talking about heart attacks. Do you know all of the warning signs? To highlight National Heart awareness month we have Dr. Tal Azemi, an interventional cardiologist at Hartford Hospital with some eye-opening information you need to know about heart attacks.

Q. What is the difference between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest?
A. Heart attack is a problem of circulation. The patient may have a partial or complete blockage that deprives the heart muscle of blood flow which can stunt or permanently damage the heart muscle. Sudden cardiac arrest is a lethal electrical disturbance that causes a heartbeat to be chaotic and ultimately stop. Now, a heart attack can certainly lead to sudden cardiac death.

Q. What are some of the symptoms of a heart attack? Most of us know of the crushing chest pain and profuse sweating... what are some other symptoms that should be added to that list?
A. Patients can certainly present with atypical symptoms such as pain in the back in between the shoulder blades; pain in one arm or both arms; neck paint; jaw pain and even sometimes too tooth pain.

Q. If someone is having a heart attack, they are rushed to the cardiac cath lab - what happens during that process?
A. We prep the patient for an emergency catheterization.. we take a hollow tube called a catheter that goes up the artery in the arm and park in at the heart artery. We take pictures to identify the blockage. We place a wire across the blockage. We then balloon the artery and ultimately place a stent to restore blood flow. Some patients respond nicely to this therapy, while other patients don't. Sometimes we have to turn to advanced life therapies such as devices like ECMO.

Q. During an upcoming class, what will you be talking about?
A. We strongly recommend that people attend this free educational seminar. We're not only going to talk about heart attacks in great detail and how we treat them but also talk about ways to prevent coronary artery disease.

For more information

Free Seminar: How do heart attacks happen?

For more info: The Heart & Vascular Institute

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