How is a heart attack treated?

Once it is clear that a person is having a heart attack, immediate treatment usually includes drugs to help open the blocked artery, which restores blood flow to the heart muscle, and prevents clots from forming again.

If you suffer a heart attack and get to an emergency room quickly, a therapy called reperfusion might be done. The sooner you have any part of this therapy, the better your recovery will be. Reperfusion involves:

• Drugs to dissolve blood clots (thrombolysis).
• Balloon angioplasty or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) to widen narrowed arteries with an inflated balloon.
• Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) to improve blood supply to parts of the heart muscle that suffer from decreased blood flow.
• Cardiac rehabilitation programs are offered in most communities to help people recover from a heart attack and reduce the chances of having another attack.