What is Acute Coronary
Syndrome?
Acute Coronary Syndrome, or
ACS, is chest pain and/or other
symptoms that happen because the
heart is not getting enough blood
flow. ACS includes:
Unstable Angina, which is chest
pain that is felt when less blood
flow is getting to the heart. This
type of pain often happens at rest,
such as when sitting or lying down.
A Myocardial Infarction is a heart
attack. This happens when one of the
heart arteries is blocked, and the heart
muscle becomes damaged.
Warning Signs of Heart Attack
Chest Discomfort: Most heart attacks
involve discomfort in the center of the
chest that lasts more than a few minutes,
or that goes away and comes back. It can
feel like uncomfortable pressure,
squeezing, fullness or pain.
Other Upper Body Pain: Symptoms can
include pain or discomfort in one or both
arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
ACUTE CORONARY
SYNDROME
A Family’s Guide to What
To Expect During a
Cardiac Emergency...
Shortness of Breath: With or without
chest pain
Others Symptoms: may include
breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or
lightheadedness.
CALL 9-1-1
What Causes ACS?
The build-up of plaque (which is made
from cholesterol) causes arteries to
narrow inside, which means not as much
blood is able to reach the heart. Less
blood flow can make the heart muscle
“cramp,” causing pain.
A heart attack occurs when a piece of
plaque breaks off, and a blood clot forms
around the plaque. This clogs the artery,
and blood flow is no longer getting to
parts
of the heart muscle. If not fixed quickly,
the muscle is permanently damaged.
You are being provided this information as part of
the Kansas Mission Lifeline project. The agency /
hospital listed below is partnering with the
American Heart Association to make sure all
Americans get the Heart and Stroke care they
require.
And Why Every Second
Counts!
(HOSPITAL / AGENCY NAME
LOGO
CONTACT INFORMATION)
What Do I Need To Do?
If you haven’t left for the hospital yet, the
most important thing is to get there SAFE!
Bring either a list of current medications, or
medication bottles for the doctors and
nurses to review. Do NOT give any
medications to your loved-one once they
arrive at the hospital. The staff will give any
medications that are safe at this time.
Be ready to answer questions about your
loved-one’s health history. There may be
many people in the room asking a lot of
questions, and some of these questions
might even be asked more than once. This
can feel stressful, especially since you are
probably already worried. Staying calm and
answering the questions the best you can
will help to make sure that the medicines
and tests that are given to your loved-one
are safe.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to tell the
emergency room doctor if your loved-one
has any history of Coronary Artery Disease,
heart attacks, bleeding disorders, allergies to
aspirin or contrast dye, or other history that
you feel they might need to know. Also, be
sure to alert the physician if your loved-one
has taken any medication in the past 72
hours for erectile dysfunction, such as
Cialis® or Viagra®.
Why the Rush?
Your loved-one has shown symptoms of
ACS, or Acute Coronary Syndrome.
Until more tests are done, these
symptoms will be treated like a heart
attack is occurring. These symptoms
could include chest pain or pressure,
shortness of breath, sweating, feeling
dizzy, or pain in the neck or jaw. Since
85% of all heart muscle damage happens
during the first hour of a heart attack,
every second truly does count.
TIME
IS
MUSLE!
What Happens In The Cath Lab?
The Cath Lab is located near to the
Emergency Department. Inside the lab,
your loved-one will be moved onto a table,
and hooked up to monitoring equipment.
Their groin (or, occasionally their wrist) will
be shaved, cleaned with a special soap,
and numbed-up. A small hollow tube
(called a sheath) will be put into the artery.
Long catheters will be threaded into the
sheath and dye will be injected through
them. When injected, a special type of xray is used to see the contrast dye in the
arteries and find the blockage. A wire is
placed through the blockage, and balloons
and/or stents are guided over the wire and
through the blockage. Balloons are inflated,
pushing the plaque out of the way, and a
stent is left in place, holding the artery
open.
What is Going to Happen Now?
On the way to the hospital, the
ambulance crew will apply oxygen,
start IV’s, and, if possible, do a 12-lead
EKG, which is a painless test that can
show if there is a blockage in one of the
heart arteries. If they see certain
changes on the EKG, they may call a
Code STEMI, which lets the
emergency room doctors know that a
patient is on the way in who might be
having a heart attack. If a Code
STEMI is called, a special team will be
called in to take your loved-one to the
cath lab. While waiting for the team to
arrive, the emergency nurses and
doctors will check blood pressures,
hook up heart monitors, draw blood,
give medicines, and other things to get ready
for the cath lab.
Your loved-one will be given medicines to
keep them comfortable. They might also be
given other drugs, such as blood thinners, if
needed.
Afterwards, they will be taken
upstairs to a room where they will usually
stay overnight. Sometimes, the sheath is
left in place until it can be safely taken out a
few hours later, after the blood thinners
have worn off. Once the sheath is removed,
it will be very important for them to be still
and not bend that leg or raise their head off
the pillow for several hours, as this can
cause bleeding.