Treatment of acute myocardial infarction includes painkillers such as morphine and oxygen from the mask or the nasal catheter. All patients with a history of less than 6 (-12) hours will be considered for treatment with so-called dissolve the clot fibrinolytic activator (streptokinase or fibrinolytic vevs activator, t-PA) followed by antithrombotic treatment to prevent the formation of blood clots. In order to process at the earliest possible after myocardial performance, often starting fibrinolytic treatment already in the ambulance on the way to the hospital after the transmission of ECG to the responsible hospital and the doctor on duty there (so-called pre-hospital thrombolysis). From the mid-1990s, has also been given the opportunity to open the blocked artery crane directly by the so-called ballong dilator, PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention). If you come to during the first 3-4 hours after the attack occurred, you will be able to reduce infarct size and better prospects of living significantly. The results are reasonably more than the sooner you come to. The biggest problem here is the waiting time from symptoms occur up to be notified health care, and it is important that the public is informed about the symptoms and the possibilities of treatment that are available if you arrive early. Treatment of arrhythmias and heart failure will be individualized, since such complications arise.
Very serious is the development of so-called cardiogenic shock, in which infarct size reduces the hearts pumping power significantly. Tentatively, the treatment of this complication is most often in vain unless the shock triggered by a special complication that hole in the heart wall or rupture of a valve attachment for the mitral valve. Then, serious cardiac surgery may be lifesaving, although the operational risk in the acute phase is very large.
It has proven important that heart-attack patients mobilized early from bed rest, usually the day after the infarction. The usual hospital stay is dramatically shortened from up to six weeks in 1950 to approx. one week in our day (2006), depending on the infarct size and possible complications.