What should I do if I suspect I am having a myocardial infarction (cont'd)?
Many people recover well from an MI and have no complications. Before discharge from hospital it is common for a doctor or nurse to advise you how to reduce any risk factors (see below). This advice aims to reduce your risk of a future MI as much as possible. An exercise test may also be done. Briefly, this helps to tell how badly the coronary arteries are narrowed with atheroma, and whether more complex tests of the heart need to be done.
Note: the common 'clot buster' drug used in the UK is called streptokinase. If you are given this drug you should not be given it again if you have another MI in the future. This is because antibodies develop to it and it will not work well a second time. An alternative 'clot buster' drug should be given if you have another MI in the future.
Emergency angioplasty is used in some cases as an alternative to a 'clot busting' drug in some hospitals. In this procedure a tiny wire with a balloon at the end is put into a large artery in the groin or arm. It is then passed up to the heart and into the blocked section of a coronary artery using special x-ray guidance. The balloon is then blown up inside the blocked part of the artery to open it wide again.
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What should I do if I suspect I am having a myocardial infarction?
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