Heart attack: how does it happen?

The human heart beats almost every second and this pace is maintained throughout a person’s entire life. But it may drastically change in case of a heart attack or so-called myocardial infarction. What is myocardial infarction? It is when the blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked. Plaques or fatty deposits build up on the walls of coronary arteries. With time, they can become unstable and clot veins, causing thrombosis. Clots reduce blood supply to the heart muscle. If the clot completely blocks the coronary artery, muscle tissue below it can die. Which leads to a heart attack. 

Many of the people we know might have suffered a heart attack. Sometimes a heart attack threatens the life of not just this one person who’s having it, but of the people around. Think about pilots or bus drivers. 

Some accidents that have happened due to myocardial infarction or heart condition 

Here are only several of the casualties that happened because of a heart attack: :

• On the 10th of September 2019, a Benton County School bus in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, went off the road and crashed with one driver and 8 children on board. The driver did not survive and the kids got injuries. It is believed that the driver had a heart attack while driving.

• On the 12th of March 2012, a school bus crashed in Indianapolis as the driver had a sudden cardiac arrest causing his death and the death of a 5 year-old schoolgirl. Other children suffered injuries. 

• On the 7th of August 2015, a Piper PA46-500TP Meridian plane went down and burst into flames shortly after takeoff from the Adirondack Regional Airport in New York state, USA. The plane crash that was likely caused by a heart attack took away the lives of four people.

• In June of 1972, a British European Airways Flight 548 from London to Brussels, crashed near the town of Staines, Surrey, England, soon after take-off. The crash took away the lives of all 118 people on board. The pathologist stated that the captain already had an existing heart condition, atherosclerosis. Not more than two hours before his death and not less than about a minute the pilot had suffered potentially distressing arterial events caused by high blood pressure. It is very typical during stressful situations.

Numerous accidents are happening annually due to heart attacks or cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Such casualties highlight the importance of regular heart screening. The people involved in professions of high risk for others have to pass some type of screening daily and, if necessary, right away before their shift.

Heart attack and the pandemic: Covid-19 consequences for heart & CDV

Following the American Heart Association In 2017, approximately 17.8 million deaths were attributed to CVD globally. The highest mortality rates attributable to CVD in 2017 were in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

In 2020 the problem of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease became as relevant as ever. Billions of people were affected by a pandemic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus.

Clinical studies reported the connection between COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease. It revealed that pre-existing cardiovascular conditions may worsen the situation in COVID-19 patients and significantly increase fatal outcomes. It was also discovered that potential drug-disease interactions may negatively affect the outcomes of patients with COVID-19.

COVID-19 itself may also provoke various conditions like myocardial injury, arrhythmia, acute coronary syndrome, and venous thromboembolism. Such conditions in some cases may serve as triggers of myocardial infarction. 

It may increase the possibility of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases in the coming years. The global population requires a fast and more efficient tool for CDV investigation.

Is it possible to predict a heart attack?

The majority of heart attacks have fatal consequences and are difficult to forecast. As we have seen earlier, they can cost the lives of more than one person at a time. But what if there was a chance to predict a myocardial infarction? Due to possible COVID-19 consequences for population cardiovascular health such prediction is becoming extremely relevant for 2021. 

RANKEL Cardiocode is a complex assessment tool and is the first device that can calculate the volumetric parameters of hemodynamic. The method is non-invasive, it is fast and easy to use. The synchronous registration of the ECG & renogram makes it possible to reach the highest level in cardiovascular diagnosis. Such unique measurements can provide important insight into a person’s cardiovascular system state. For example:

• it’s the world’s first reliable method to predict heart attacks or strokes, ⠀
• it’s the first device in the world to be able to assess an athlete’s limits and abilities based on their CVS, ⠀
• it can measure the difficulty of physical activity that an athlete can endure safely,
• it is the first device in the world to assess a person’s psychoemotional state, ⠀ ⠀
• it also measures the resources of the person’s heart.

Importance of heart disease diagnostics of the whole population in 2021

It is important to carry out regular heart check-ups of the entire population and they should be a part of the public healthcare system. Considering the possible consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic such screenings can shed light on the overall heart health situation within the population. RANKEL Cardiocode device may serve as a comprehensive population assessment tool & data collector for further research on a subject.

Apart from that the regular screening with RANKEL Cardiocode it could:

– significantly improve diagnostic of cardiovascular diseases in early stages which gives the possibility to receive timely medical help,

– reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with heart and blood vessels diseases due to the timely identification of cardiovascular complications,

– reduce the use of expensive diagnostic methods,

– improve the efficiency of the therapy and medication of patients with cardiovascular diseases due to the possibility of frequent (cheap and quick) control,

– reduce health risks at work, as the device can be easily manipulated by staff physicians in hazardous industries.

As a consequence, such complex diagnostics may reduce the mortality rate and significantly increase life expectancy (by 10-15 years).