People who survive a heart attack face the greatest risk of dying from sudden cardiac death (SCD) during the first month after leaving the hospital, according to a long-term community study by Mayo Clinic researchers of nearly 3,000 heart attack survivors.
Sudden cardiac death can happen when the heart's electrical system malfunctions; if treatment - cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation - does not happen fast, a person dies.
After that first month, the risk of sudden cardiac death drops significantly - but rises again if a person experiences signs of heart failure. The research results appear in the Nov. 5 edition of Journal of the American Medical Association .
The Mayo Message
This study emphasizes the need for physicians to stay in close contact with their heart attack patients, forming a partnership to recognize symptoms, says Veronique Roger, M.D., M.P.H., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and lead author of the study. Physicians and patients - and their family members - need to be keenly alert for the symptoms of heart failure, as described by the American Heart Association, Dr. Roger says.
Heart failure symptoms that require immediate attention include:
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent cough or wheezing
- Bloating and swelling
- Fatigue
- Confusion
"There are three key findings here that can be immediately applied to heart attack patients today," Dr. Roger says. "One is that the first month post-heart attack is the highest risk period for patients to suffer sudden cardiac death - and acute surveillance is warranted. A second is that the risk drops rapidly after the first month, but this does not mean the patient is out of danger. Surveillance is still required after the first month because our third finding shows that even though the risk drops after the first month, the onset of symptoms of heart failure at any time after the heart attack markedly increases the risk of SCD."
About the Study