Beware of the Widowmaker heart attack

Beware of the Widowmaker heart attack

February is American Heart Month, all about bringing awareness and information about keeping our hearts healthy.  Each of us is already well aware of the dangers of a heart attack.  But there’s a type of heart attack that is considered to be the most lethal one of all – the widowmaker heart attack, caused by a total blockage in a critical blood vessel that can result in deadly consequences. 

Just recently, longtime “All My Children” soap opera star, Susan Lucci, was diagnosed with having a widowmaker heart attack. After experiencing shortness of breath and severe chest pain, a CT scan revealed a 90 percent blockage in her heart’s main artery and a 70 percent blockage in another. After getting a procedure that placed a pair of stents into her arteries to increase blood flow back to the heart, she is expected to have a full recovery. 

What is a “widowmaker” heart attack?

The heart contains three main arteries, the left anterior descending artery (LAD), the right coronary artery and the circumflex artery.  The LAD supplies the most blood to the heart. A blockage in the LAD can cause ventricular tachycardia (an unnaturally fast heartbeat) or ventricular fibrillation, which impairs effective pumping of blood from the heart.

While blockages in the other two arteries are also serious, a blockage in the LAD affects a large segment of the heart, potentially causing catastrophic tissue damage and leading to the name the widowmaker. The widowmaker deserves its nickname as it is estimated that this type of heart attack is four times more deadly than other heart attacks. When the LAD is obstructed, blood flow stops in the left side of the heart and this can cause cardiac arrest, where the heart stops beating.

Who is at risk for a widowmaker heart attack?

Like all diseases of the heart, there are many risk factors that can increase your chances for this type of heart attack. Some risk factors you can control, others you cannot. Here is a list of risk factors that can ultimately increase the likelihood of a widowmaker heart attack:

·      Age – men 45 or older and women 55 or older

·      Family history of early heart attacks

·      Smoking – both first hand and long-term exposure to secondhand smoke

·      High blood pressure

·      High cholesterol

·      Diabetes

·      Sedentary lifestyle

·      Obesity

·      Stress

·      Illegal use of stimulant drugs

What symptoms will someone experience having this type of heart attack?

All heart attacks are serious but widowmaker heart attacks are especially so.  By paying attention to the symptoms associate with it and getting help as soon as possible, it shouldn’t be fatal. Generally, most people think a heart attack starts with a stabbing pain in the chest.  This may be a symptom for some, but there are other symptoms that can occur indicating a widowmaker heart attack which include:

·      Chest pressure, with pain radiating to the arm, neck, jaw, or back

·      Shortness of breath with or without activity

·      Extreme or unusual fatigue

·      Lightheadedness or dizziness

·      Clamminess

·      Nausea or vomiting or indigestion

·      Sudden sweating even without exercising

·      Heart palpitations

Anyone experiencing any of the above symptoms should call or have someone call 911. Do not drive yourself to the hospital. You will be putting yourself and anyone else on the road at risk.

How are widowmakers treated?

Besides CPR and/or the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), surgery is also used to treat cardiac arrest. For a widowmaker, a surgeon takes a long wire and threads it through a patient’s wrist or groin. A stent on the wire is inserted into the artery, gets expanded, and crushes the plaque causing the artery blockage. Once the plaque is gone, this allows blood to flow through the artery again.

How can widomaker heart attacks be prevented?

Like most illness of the heart, it’s better to avoid the widowmaker heart attack than it is to survive one. Lifestyle changes are the key factors in preventing this deadly type of heart attack. These changes include quit or never smoke to begin with, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts, lower the amount of saturated fat in your diet – eat less lard, fatty red meat, butter, sausage, etc., reach and maintain a healthy body weight, and be physically active.

Another important component is to get checked with a regular cardiac scan to assess your coronary calcium score. This test assesses the amount of calcium deposits in your heart and a high score may indicate a potential plaque build-up. It’s important to know that many people who die from the widowmaker have quite good overall cholesterol scores.  Calcium buildup in the heart is a problem that can affect seemingly healthy individuals whom you wouldn’t normally associate with a risk of heart attack. Getting this assessment regularly can flag the widowmaker in advance. 

To find out more about having a cardiac scan to asses coronary calcium score, discuss this with your primary healthcare provider.

DEC. 3, 201803:53