Heart Health
Is America ready for the coming cardiac crisis?
By Marcia Clemmitt

"Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert's fatal heart attack in June tragically reminded middle-aged Americans that cardiovascular disease is the nation's leading cause of death. One in every six heart attacks has sudden death as its first, last and only symptom. Overall, about 40 percent of both women and men die of a heart-related ailment. On the plus side, U.S. cardiovascular-disease deaths have. . . .

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• Is the burden of cardiovascular disease lessening?
• Can Americans make the lifestyle changes needed to eliminate cardiovascular disease?
• Do we rely too much on high-tech medicine to combat cardiovascular disease?

Would Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco products help reduce smoking, a major risk factor for heart disease?

Jack E. Henningfield Vice President for Research and Health Policy, Pinney Associates, Bethesda, Md.. From testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, Oct. 3, 2007	Alan Blum Director, University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society. From testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, Oct. 3, 2007

Fast Action Is Crucial in Heart Emergencies

When heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest occurs, minutes of delay can mean needless death and disability, doctors say.

Here are some tips on responding to cardiovascular emergencies:

• Know which symptoms mean trouble, and don't wait to call for help.

• Medical care given quickly after a heart attack or stroke can save a life and prevent long-term disability. But too often that doesn't happen, says Mark Turco, medical director of the Center for Cardiac and Vascular Research at Washington Adventist Hospital in Silver Spring, Md.. "We tend not to see victims until two or three hours have passed."

• "What people envision is the Hollywood heart attack — a middle-aged male clutching his chest and feeling explosive symptoms. But that's the exception," says William Boden, a professor of medicine and public health at the State University of New York's University at Buffalo.

• Be aware of your body and don't delay seeking help if you suffer unusual discomfort or pain in or around the chest.

• "Most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort," according to the American Heart Association, and may also include prolonged or recurring pressure or pain in the middle of the chest; pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath; cold sweats; nausea or light-headedness.

• Women, especially, may experience "a stabbing, rather than crushing pain, and nausea, vomiting and a burning in the pit of the stomach," says Boden.

• Women also are more susceptible to "silent," unnoticed heart attacks, says William B. Kannel, a Boston University professor of medicine and public health. Among those with high blood pressure, 50 percent of women's attacks were "silent," compared to about 32 percent of men's. "Silent" heart attacks "are as serious as overt attacks and foretell the same future problems," he says.

• Stroke symptoms, on the other hand, include sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg; sudden confusion; sudden, severe headache; dizziness; loss of balance; and trouble speaking, understanding, seeing or walking. As with heart attacks, stroke recovery is vastly improved if medical help comes quickly.

• Don't be afraid to use an AED (automated external defibrillator).

• AEDs are portable, computerized devices that automatically diagnose potentially dangerous abnormal heart rhythms and deliver shocks that can return a heart to normal rhythm. Now widely available in workplaces and public areas like restaurants, airports and subway stations, AEDs are designed to be used by untrained lay persons. The machines talk the rescuer through the process and will not deliver a shock if it isn't necessary.

Defibrillation of a victim within three or four minutes can mean the difference between life and death, says Roger S. Blumenthal, associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. To watch a video in which a doctor shows CBS news anchor Katie Couric how to use an AED, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzaZHvEviJQ.

[1] "Heart Attack, Stroke, and Cardiac Arrest Warning Signs," American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053.

Footnote: 1. "Heart Attack, Stroke, and Cardiac Arrest Warning Signs," American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053.

[2] Ibid.

Footnote: 2. Ibid.