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Heart Attack and Unstable Angina - Treatment for Complications
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
- Overview
-
Health Tools
- FAQs
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Increases Your Risk
- When to Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Preventing Another Heart Attack
- Life After a Heart Attack
- Medications
- Surgery
- Treatment for Complications
- End-of-Life Decisions
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
Heart attacks that damage critical or large areas of the heart tend to cause more problems (complications) later. If only a small amount of heart muscle dies, the heart may still function normally after a heart attack.
The chance that these complications will occur depends on the amount of heart tissue affected by a heart attack and whether medicines are given during and after a heart attack to help prevent these complications. Your age, general health, and other things also affect your risk of complications and death.
About half of all people who have a heart attack will have a serious complication. The kinds of complications you may have depend upon the location and extent of the heart muscle damage. The most common complications are:
- Heart rhythm problems, called arrhythmias. These include heart block, atrial fibrillation, and possibly deadly ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation.
- Heart failure, which can be short-term or can become a lifelong condition. Scar tissue eventually replaces the areas of heart muscle that are damaged by a heart attack. Scar tissue affects your heart's ability to pump as well as it should. Damage to the left ventricle can lead to heart failure.
- Heart valve disease.
- Pericarditis, which is an inflammation around the outside of the heart.
Treatment for heart rhythm problems
If the heart attack caused an arrhythmia, you may take medicines or you may need a cardiac device such as a pacemaker.
If your heart rate is too slow (bradycardia), your doctor may recommend a pacemaker. For more information, see:
If you have abnormal heart rhythms or if you are at risk for abnormal heart rhythms that can be deadly, your doctor may recommend an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). For more information, see:
For information about living with a pacemaker or ICD, see:
For information on different types of arrhythmias, see the topics:
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: April 26, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine John M. Miller, MD - Electrophysiology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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