February is American Heart Month

The health of our heart is vital to the quality of our life.  The heart is responsible for moving oxygen-rich blood throughout the essential organs of our body.  Loss of heart health leads to increased death risk, increased medical expenses, loss of productivity, and overall decreased quality of life.  The American Heart Association (AHA), collaborates with multiple agencies, most notably the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to publish Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, a yearly publication compiling statistics as it relates to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular risk factors.  I work in Emergency Medicine, nonetheless, I find the statistics staggering. 

Heart Disease

Statistics from the CDC report that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US, extinguishing more than 633,00 lives per year.   The leading cause of heart disease is coronary artery disease.  Coronary artery disease is when the vessels that bring oxygen rich blood to the heart become narrowed and the blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced and function is suboptimal and further declines with time.  Angina is the pain associated with this condition and is the most common symptom of CAD.

Cardiac Arrest

Most cardiac arrests occur in adults with underlying heart disease.  Simply put, cardiac arrest is when the heart stops effectively pumping oxygen containing blood to the brain and body.   Brain damage occurs within minutes.  Without intervention, death is certain.  According to the CDC, there are 300,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) each year.  More than nine out of ten people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die. 

Chain of Survival

The CDC has identified five critical actions to improve the chain of survival: 1) recognition of arrest and activation of EMS through 911; 2) rapid initiation of CPR; 3) prompt defibrillation by AED (automatic external defibrillator) or similar; 4) advanced life support; and 5) comprehensive post-cardiac arrest care. 

This past weekend, I had the privilege of invitation to speak about bystander CPR to the remarkable young men of the Kappa League Leadership and Development Program during the Health and Wellness Workshop of the Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  My discussion focused on the first two: 1) recognition of arrest and activation of EMS through 911; 2) rapid initiation of CPR until an AED or EMS ( ambulance) arrives.  Engaging bystanders to activate EMS and deliver CPR is crucial to improving the chain of survival.

Heart Risk

Fortunately, many of the cardiovascular risk factors can be improved.  The AHA offers My Life Check- Life’s Simple 7 to highlight health behaviors and factors that influence heart health: physical activity, diet, weight, smoking, cholesterol and blood pressure.  The AHA provides know your heart score where you can create an account and receive personalized information and receive a heart score from 0-10.  You will need to know your blood pressure, fasting blood glucose level and your cholesterol numbers to complete the exercise. 

What if you say- “but I feel fine?”  According to the CDC, there are 790,000 heart attacks a year.  A heart attack ( or myocardial infarction (MI) is when there is an interuption of blood flow to the muscle of the heart resulting in damage to the heart wall until flow is restored.  When the heart muscle is damaged, the ability to pump is compromised, resulting in a cascade of problems.  Twenty percent of heart attacks are silent.  Silent means that someone had a heart attack but were not aware of the event. 

Know your risk factors and adjust, accordingly.  Partner with your medical provider to develop strategies right for you.  Ignorance does not modify your risk.  In great part, heart disease is preventable and established risk can be modified.  Start today.