How Does Aspirin Help During a Heart Attack?

[Warph]

       

The heart is the most important muscle in the body, so it seems like something of a marketing ploy by the folks at Bayer to suggest that something so simple as a humble aspirin tablet can be of any use when this life-sustaining organ goes into epic fail mode. But it's true: next to calling 911 immediately, taking an aspirin is one of your best bets when it comes to surviving a cardiac event. As Ben Affleck once said in a shampoo commercial, here comes the science.

We all have platelets in our blood – specialized disc-shaped cells that cling together to form a clot. Blood clots serve an important purpose; when you cut yourself shaving or smack your nose against someone's fist, the body detects a disruption in the lining of a blood vessel and sends platelets scrambling to the injured area to stop the bleeding.

Sometimes, though, platelets get confused and rush to block an uninjured vessel. In the case of a heart attack, it's usually a plaque (a cholesterol-rich build-up of gunk) that was attached to the wall of a vessel and suddenly ruptured. Even though there is no bleeding taking place, the rupture attracts the platelets and they build their customary blood-stopping barrier. The clot ends up blocking a healthy vein and deprives the heart of necessary oxygen-rich blood and causes a portion of the muscle to die. End result: heart attack.

Making Platelets Less Sticky
Among aspirin's other properties, such as fever and pain reduction, it also has an inhibitory effect on platelets in the blood. It somehow makes the platelets less "sticky" and less likely to clump together. And less is better in this case – too much aspirin can cause stomach upset and uncontrollable bleeding, which is why one baby aspirin (81 mg) per day has been determined to be the optimal dosage to keep the blood flowing smoothly without adverse side effects.

Of course, everyone should check with a physician before beginning a daily aspirin regimen. However, if you or a loved one is showing symptoms of a heart attack, do not hesitate to administer a non-coated regular-strength aspirin tablet with a glass of water. Studies have shown that the pill works faster (eight minutes versus up to 20 minutes) if the patient chews it before swallowing.

Rosie O'Donnell credits aspirin with saving her life during her recent cardiac event. Interestingly enough, my Dad had a heart attack in 1990 and his symptoms were almost identical to Rosie's. O'Donnell had struggled to assist an overweight woman out of her car one afternoon and then noticed aching in her arms and a slight pain in her chest later in the day. My Dad had aching in his arms one evening and a slight tightness in his chest, but charged the symptoms off to having been repairing the doorbell earlier and having held his arms overhead for so long. In both cases there was no "elephant on the chest" sensation or major pain in the left arm only. And Dad's doctor later credited his daily baby aspirin regimen with saving his life, since once he recovered sufficiently for surgery he required a quintuple bypass.

Moral of the story: if you're over 35, ask your doctor about aspirin. If you suddenly feel any sort of unusual pain or discomfort in your arms, chest and/or lower jaw do not hesitate to get thee to the emergency room ASAP.

[srkruzich]

Absolutely!  have plenty of it around this house!  I use 325mg ones not the 81mg.  Now if you experience bleeding then you need to go back to the 81mg.  Saved my bacon a few times i think along with nitros

[larryJ]

Part of my daily pill popping includes an 81 mg aspirin.  I was told by my doctor to include it in my daily regimen.  I also take a dieretic which lessens the possible occurrence of congenital heart disease and Plavix to keep the blood vessels open.  When I go (monthly) for lab work, I have to make sure that the sight of the blood draw is tightly wrapped and I sit in the lobby for ten minutes before I leave.  Taking the above mentioned pills slows down the ability of the blood to clot easily.  An 81 mg aspirin isn't going to hurt me and it could possibly save my life.

Larryj

[srkruzich]

Part of my daily pill popping includes an 81 mg aspirin.  I was told by my doctor to include it in my daily regimen.  I also take a dieretic which lessens the possible occurrence of congenital heart disease and Plavix to keep the blood vessels open.  When I go (monthly) for lab work, I have to make sure that the sight of the blood draw is tightly wrapped and I sit in the lobby for ten minutes before I leave.  Taking the above mentioned pills slows down the ability of the blood to clot easily.  An 81 mg aspirin isn't going to hurt me and it could possibly save my life.

Larryj

I got out of hospital yesterday and day before they gave me 60 mg of effient (alternate version of plavix as plavix doesn't work on me).  The nurse pulled my iv out put a gauze and it seemed to behave, but she left to go get a chair to take me to the entrance and my arm just started pouring blood out. I put pressure and it took 2 techs and a compression bandage to get it stopped.  Kinda gave me a scare when i couldn't stop it myself. Let me tell you it is a big scare if you can't stop bleeding yourself.  Its just unnerving.  Makes me appreciate more about the warnings of getting cut at home. 

[Diane Amberg]

Yes! Good explanation, and do check with your doc to make sure what else you are taking ,even over the counter or herbals don't make the blood thinning too much. Fish oil has a slightly blood thinning quality, as do many foods and spices because they contain Vitamin E., as does alcohol.  All great, but too much of a good thing can be bad.
I take the 81mg. and a diuretic too, but none of the others such as Plavex or Coumadin....yet.
  Steve, direct pressure and elevate! Be patient, it will stop in time but can be unnerving, as you said. You can try an ice pack too as that will help constrict the blood vessels.

[patyrn]

Steve,
If you're having trouble with bleeding, maybe you should be on an 81 mg aspirin rather than a 325 mg.  I take a 325 mg prescribed by my cardiologist to help prevent clotting to mess with my new valve, but most people I know are on the 81.  Check with your medical people!

Karen I.

[srkruzich]

Steve,
If you're having trouble with bleeding, maybe you should be on an 81 mg aspirin rather than a 325 mg.  I take a 325 mg prescribed by my cardiologist to help prevent clotting to mess with my new valve, but most people I know are on the 81.  Check with your medical people!

Karen I.

Yeah i understand, i think the majority of it was from theeffient and having taken 60 mg instead of 10mg.  They screwed up my pill schedule in there, and now im getting back on it. Haven't taken asperin today either.  Just let it go til i get back on schedule and all.  I'll probably quarter my pills.