Treatment of a Heart Attack

Treatment for a heart attack

Understandably, treatment for those diagnosed with heart attack can be complex.But this section on heart attack treatments will help you talk with your doctors and healthcare providers.

As you learn about your treatment plan, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be sure to voice any concerns you may have.

Common heart attack types and treatments

The type of heart attack (also called myocardial infarction, or MI) you experienced determines the treatments that your medical team will recommend. A heart attack occurs when a blockage in one or more coronary arteries reduces or stops blood flow to the heart, which starves part of the heart muscle of oxygen.

The blockage might be complete or partial:

• A complete blockage of a coronary artery means you suffered a “STEMI” heart attack or ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
• A partial blockage is an “NSTEMI” heart attack or a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Treatments differ for a STEMI versus NSTEMI heart attack, although there can be some overlap.

Hospitals commonly use techniques to restore blood flow to part of the heart muscle damaged during a heart attack:

• You might receive clot-dissolving drugs (thrombolysis), balloon angioplasty (PCI), surgery or a combination of treatments.
• About 36 percent of hospitals in the U.S. are equipped to use a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a mechanical means of treating heart attack. 

At a hospital equipped to administer PCI, you would likely be sent to a department that specializes in cardiac catheterization, sometimes called a “cath lab.” There, a diagnostic angiogram can examine blood flow to your heart and reveal how well your heart is pumping. Depending on the results of that procedure, you may be routed to one of three treatments: medical therapy only, PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

A hospital that not equipped to perform PCI might transfer you to one that is. Or, your medical team may decide to administer drugs known as fibrinolytic agents to restore blood flow. You might be given an angiography (an imaging technique used to see inside your arteries, veins and heart chambers), possibly followed by an invasive procedure called revascularization to restore blood circulation in your heart.

If the hospital determines you had an NSTEMI heart attack, doctors typically use one of two treatment strategies. Both may involve a test called cardiac catheterization to examine the inside of your heart:

• The ischemia-guided strategy uses various drugs (antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants) to inhibit blood clot formation.
• The early invasive strategy will start with the use of various drugs (antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants) to inhibit blood clot formation, but might also proceed to a medical therapy, a PCI with stenting or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), followed by certain types of post-hospital care.

Your doctor and other members of your healthcare team can explain the approach to your heart attack treatment. They can answer any specific questions you might have.

Common heart attack treatments

You’ll find many common heart attack treatments listed here. For more detailed explanations of these treatments, see our page devoted to cardiac procedures.