Aspirin, Antiplatelets and Thrombolytics in Heart Attack treatment

Heart Attack occurs because the blood clots which appear in the coronaries. The main aim of the Heart Attack treatment is to prevent the appearance of these clots, which lead to the vessel narrowing and occlusion.
So, the basics of the Heart Attack's treatment are to prevent the appearance of these clots and other flow disturbances in the coronary arteries. This can be done using the following medications:

• Aspirin - yes, the known-by-all Aspirin may prevent a myocardial infarction, just because it has an anticoagulation property, makes blood more "liquid, less-sticky" and doesn't admit its intravascular coagulation and clotting. But this treatment should be administered carefully, because in case of traumas or accidental bleeding, the blood will not coagulate and this may lead to severe hemorrhages. Low-dose Aspirin is usually the first-line choice.
• Antiplatelets, also, can prevent the appearance of the blood clots and strokes in the coronaries, but also they are successfully applied in other ischemic disorders as cerebral ischemia. Usually, these are pills taken once or twice daily. The most common are Clopidrogel, Dipyridamole.
• Thrombolytic agents (Fibrinolytics) - these drugs prevent the clot forming by dissolving it or by breaking it form the arteries' walls. It seems the most popular medicines are Acenocumarol, Dicumarol, Clorindione

These medications must be used as soon as possible, within the first 1 - 2 hours after a Heart Attack occurs, to decrease the area of the affected myocardium. The longer the delay is - the bigger are chances your heart will be more affected.
Also, your doctor may choose to use not one, but a combination of more of these medications, to make the treatment more effective.
Another series of drugs may improve your heart work and ameliorate its situation, widen the coronary vessels and reduce the pain, to increase the life quality indicators.

Updated: January, 23 2008 00:06:04

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