Patient education: Heart attack recovery (The Basics)

What is a heart attack? — A heart attack happens when 1 of the arteries that supply blood to the heart gets blocked or partly blocked. Most of the time, this happens when fatty deposits called "plaques" form inside the arteries. These plaques can break open and cause blood clots to form (figure 1). This keeps blood from reaching parts of the heart muscle.

The medical term for a heart attack is "myocardial infarction" ("MI").

What happens after a heart attack? — After a heart attack, your doctor will make a treatment plan with you. The goal of this plan is to prevent another heart attack and lower your chance of dying prematurely from heart disease.

Do I need medicines? — Yes. The medicines you take will depend on your heart condition and how your heart attack was treated. Some heart medicines help prevent chest pain and other heart symptoms. Other heart medicines help prevent future heart attacks and help you live longer.

●To prevent another heart attack, you will probably need to take aspirin, another medicine similar to aspirin, a medicine called a "beta blocker," and a cholesterol-lowering medicine.

●If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes (high blood sugar), your doctor will likely prescribe medicines to treat those conditions. Having untreated high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes can increase your chance of having another heart attack.

●Take your medicines exactly the way your doctor says. Let your doctor or nurse know if you have any side effects or problems with the medicines. You should also let them know if you can't afford your medicines. There are often ways to solve these problems.

●Your doctor might also tell you to avoid certain medicines, like nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs ("NSAIDs"). NSAIDs include ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve).

Do I need to make lifestyle changes? — You might. After a heart attack, your doctor or nurse will talk with you about:

●Quitting smoking, if you smoke – Quitting smoking can lower your chance of getting or dying from heart disease. Your doctor or nurse can help you quit. Some people find it helpful to:

•Use nicotine patches, gums, or nasal sprays – Nicotine is the main drug in cigarettes.

•Work with a counselor to find ways to make it easier to quit

•Take a prescription medicine to reduce cigarette cravings

●Improving your diet – Eating the right foods can help keep you healthy. Fruits, vegetables, and foods with fiber can help prevent heart disease and stroke (figure 2). Try to avoid eating foods that can make heart disease worse. These include "trans" fats, which are found in many fast foods. If you have excess weight, it's important to lose weight. Losing extra weight lowers your chance of having another heart attack.

●Getting help with anxiety or depression – Some people have these problems after a heart attack. If you are struggling, talk to your doctor or nurse. There are treatments that can help.

●Physical activity – Getting regular exercise can keep your heart healthy. Gentle activity like walking is usually safe and healthy. Your doctor or nurse will suggest an exercise program that is best for you. They might also recommend something called "cardiac rehabilitation," which includes exercise.

What is cardiac rehabilitation? — This is a special type of care people receive after having a heart attack. It is also called "cardiac rehab."

In your cardiac rehab program, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals will teach you how to keep your heart healthy. This includes ways to:

●Exercise safely

●Improve your diet, stop smoking, and control your other health conditions

●Cope with feeling sad or worried after your heart attack

When can I have sex again? — Having sex during the first 2 weeks after a heart attack might be more exercise than your doctor recommends. Check with your doctor about when it is safe to start having sex again:

●The timing will depend on the size of your heart attack, if you had problems after your heart attack, and if you still have symptoms.

●After a heart attack, some people are less interested in sex or do not enjoy sex as much. This can be caused by certain heart medicines. It can also happen if you are worried about having a heart attack during sex.

●If you have problems with sex, let your doctor or nurse know. They might be able to treat those problems.

When can I drive again and return to work? — Check with your doctor about when it is safe for you to drive again and return to work. Most people can drive again 1 week after their heart attack. Many people can return to work within 2 weeks of having a heart attack.

What symptoms should I watch for? — After you have a heart attack, watch for chest pain or symptoms of another heart attack (figure 3). People who have a heart attack have a higher-than-normal chance of having another heart attack and other heart problems.

If you think that you might be having another heart attack, call for an ambulance right away (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1). Do not try to get to the hospital on your own.

More on this topic

Patient education: Heart attack (The Basics)
Patient education: Medicines after a heart attack (The Basics)
Patient education: Chest pain (The Basics)
Patient education: Exercise and movement (The Basics)
Patient education: Diet and health (The Basics)
Patient education: High blood pressure in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: High cholesterol (The Basics)
Patient education: Coping with high drug prices (The Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (The Basics)
Patient education: Coronary artery disease (The Basics)
Patient education: What can go wrong after a heart attack? (The Basics)
Patient education: Troponin test (The Basics)

Patient education: Heart attack recovery (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Heart attack (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: High cholesterol and lipids (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Quitting smoking (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: High blood pressure treatment in adults (Beyond the Basics)