What Can Go Wrong After a Heart Attack?

Watching and waiting " � If your abnormal heart rhythm isn't too serious, the doctor might watch it to see if it goes away on its own.

Different types of medicines

A procedure called "cardioversion," which involves applying a mild electrical current to the heart to fix its rhythm

Heart failure " � Heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not pump as well as it should. This can cause symptoms such as swelling, trouble breathing, and feeling tired. Sometimes, heart failure after a heart attack lasts only for a short time. Other times, heart failure after a heart attack becomes a long-term problem.Doctors can treat heart failure with different types of medicines. The medicines can improve symptoms and help people feel better. Some medicines help people live longer. Most people need to take more than 1 medicine every day. (See "Medicines for heart failure".)

Inflammation of the lining around the heart " � When the lining around the heart gets inflamed or irritated, doctors call it "pericarditis. " � Pericarditis can cause chest pain that gets worse when you cough or take a deep breath. Sometimes, it also causes a fever.If you have pericarditis, your doctor will probably first treat it by increasing your daily dose of aspirin. (After a heart attack, most people take aspirin every day.) He or she might also prescribe another NSAID. NSAIDs are a large group of medicines that includes aspirin, ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin), indomethacin (sample brand names: Indocin, Indocid), and naproxen (sample brand names: Aleve, Naprosyn).If the inflammation causes fluid to collect around your heart, your doctor might drain the fluid.

Other problems can happen after a heart attack, but they are much less common. These problems usually happen within the first few days after a heart attack and can be life-threatening. They include: � �

Tears in the heart muscle or heart walls
Problems with the heart valves
Blood clots in the lung
Strokes

These problems usually cause sudden and severe symptoms, such as sudden trouble breathing or passing out. They need emergency treatment, which might include medicines, surgery, or other procedures. But these problems can't always be treated and sometimes lead to death. � �
All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. � �
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. � �
Topic 16434 Version 5.0 � �
Release: 22.8 - C22.208 � �
� � 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. � �

figure 1

Normal heart

This is a drawing of a normal heart. The heart has 4 chambers: right atrium, left atrium, right ventricle, and left ventricle. Blood flows from the right atrium to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve. Blood flows from the left atrium to the left ventricle through the mitral valve.

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Normal heart

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