Understanding Cardiac Enzymes and their Relation to Heart Attacks
Heart enzymes are enzymes that play a role in supporting the work of the heart muscle. When damage occurs, such as in a heart attack, this enzyme will increase in number in the blood. By the arena, examination of cardiac enzymes is often done as a way to diagnose a heart attack.
When someone complains of chest pain suspected of being a heart attack, the doctor will conduct a series of examinations, including a heart enzyme test. The more number of heart enzymes in the blood shows the greater damage that occurs in the heart of the patient.
Knowing Heart Enzymes
Some types of heart enzymes and proteins that are often examined by a doctor when someone is suspected of suffering heart attack namely:
Creatine kinase ( c reatine k inase / CK)
This enzyme found in body tissues such as skeletal muscle, and heart and brain organs. An increase in the CK enzyme can indicate a condition of a heart attack. CK levels begin to be detected in the blood within 4-6 hours after the heart muscle is damaged, and will increase up to 24 hours after a heart attack.
However, CK can also increase in several other conditions, such as rhabdomyolisis , infection, kidney damage, and muscular dystrophy.
Troponin
Troponin is a type of protein found in the heart and muscles. There are 3 types of troponin, namely troponin T, C, and I, but what is specifically examined along with the heart enzyme is troponin T and I. Troponin levels can increase within 2-26 hours after damage to the heart muscle.
In addition to heart attacks, troponin levels can also increase when there is inflammation and damage to the heart muscle due to other diseases, such as myocarditis. Therefore, special troponin examinations are now available which are called high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn). This type of examination can better detect heart damage from a heart attack.
Myoglobin
It is a protein found in the skeletal muscle and heart muscle. Myoglobin levels will increase within 2-12 hours after a heart attack, and return to normal levels within 24-36 hours after a heart attack.
Because it can increase in other diseases, myoglobin levels are often checked along with cardiac enzymes and other cardiac examinations, such as EKGs to diagnose heart attacks.
In practice, a diagnosis of a heart attack is not only based on the results of a cardiac enzyme examination, but also requires a physical examination by a doctor, plus supporting tests others, such as ECG, angiography, and cardiac catheterization.
Cardiac Enzyme Examination Procedure
The cardiac enzyme examination procedure is quite simple and no special preparation is needed, for example, you must fast first or stop taking certain drugs.
It's just that, the doctor will ask some important things starting from a history of heart disease from the family or even may be experienced by previous patients, a history of drug consumption, to the symptoms felt by patients before conducting a cardiac enzyme examination.
Basically, this examination is very similar to a blood test, with the following steps:
- The doctor or medical officer will tie the patient's arm with tourniquet to slow the blood flow and make the vein more visible.
- The medical officer identifies the location of the vein, then clean the area to be injected with alcohol.
- The medical officer starts taking blood using a syringe.
- After the blood is taken and the syringe is pulled out of the vein, the medical officer will attach gauze or plaster to cover injection marks.
Heart Attack Treatment
When feeling a heart attack symptom such as severe chest pain that radiates to the arm or neck, cold sweat, and weakness If the patient needs to go to the ED immediately to the nearest hospital to get further examination and treatment from the doctor.
If the results of the cardiac enzyme examination make sure the patient has a heart attack, the doctor will provide treatment, such as placing an IV and giving oxygen, blood thinning drugs, clopidogrel , and drugs to destroy blockages in the heart blood vessels.
In certain cases, after receiving treatment at the ER the patient will be referred to a cardiologist for catheterization heart or heart surgery. After that, the patient needs to be hospitalized to monitor his condition.
During treatment, the doctor will monitor the patient's condition and periodically check the heart enzymes to assess heart condition.
After being allowed to go home, the doctor will also advise patients to adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle to maintain their heart health and reduce their risk of recurring heart attacks.
Label : Health
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