Angina Pectoris

Angina pectoris literally means pain in the chest. It generally occurs in self-limited attacks (10 or 15 minutes at most), which can be triggered by anything that increases the heart's workload and its need for blood and oxygen beyond its capacity. This includes such everyday occurrences as exercise, emotional stress, exposure to cold, or even eating a heavy meal. Pain occurs because of an imbalance between increased demand for blood and oxygen to the heart muscle and inadequate supply, a condition called myocardial ischemia.

Although angina is not always a precursor to a heart attack, even occasional attacks of angina can be a sign of serious coronary artery disease and should be called to the attention of a physician. Any woman who experiences a heavy squeezing pain or pressure across her chest that lasts longer than 20 minutes should seek emergency care immediately. She may be having a life-threatening heart attack.

Symptoms of Angina Pectoris
Angina is itself a symptom rather than a unique disorder. It is often described as a tight, band-like, suffocating, or crushing sensation in the chest, which may radiate to the throat, shoulder, jaw, neck, or either arm. Attacks of typical angina are brought on by exercise or emotional stress, generally last only a few minutes, and are relieved by rest. If pain lasts longer than 20 minutes, a physician should be consulted because of the possibility of long-term damage to the heart. With medications, angina can be controlled and the risk of heart attack diminished.

Women with chest pain far too often fail to be evaluated for angina or for cornoary artery disease in general. Although the likelihood of typical angina is quite low in a premenopausal woman, any woman with symptoms suggesting this problem should at the very least speak to her doctor about her personal risk factors for cardiovascular disease. If the chest pain is suggestive of angina, she should probably have an electrocardiogram done both during rest and after exercise to see if the heart muscle shows signs of damage or diminished blood flow that threatens future damage. If findings are normal, the doctor will look for causes of the pain other than heart disease.

In older women, or in women who have abnormal ECG, further tests may be done, including echocardiography, stress testing with or without nuclear imaging, cardiac catheterization with cornoary arteriography, or pharmacological stress testing.

Treatment of Angina Pectoris
Angina is not likely to work off without rest. If you are walking in the street, stand still, sit down and rest. The pain should be relieved within a few minutes. If you are exercising, stop your activity. Reduce emotional stress if possible. Attacks that are brought on by emotion are sometimes difficult to relieve. Take a sedative if one is available. Consult a doctor if the pain is not relieved within 10-15 minutes or if you have never had angina before.

At the clinic, the doctor will need to find out the cause of the angina and to assess its severity. If it is mild, no treatment will be needed, but if it is serious, then various medical treatments are available. Generally drugs are recommended for the treatment of angina before surgery is considered. The use of drugs include nitroglycerin, beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, aspirin and estrogen therapy. If angina resulting from atherosclerosis does not respond to medications, procedures such as coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery may be necessary.

The major complication associated with angina pectoris is that it increases risk of heart attacks. Some of the other complications include atrial flutter, chest pain, atrial fibrillation, cardiac failure, hypotension, abdominal pain, dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction.

Angina is a sign that someone is at higher risk of heart attack, cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death. Defibrillation is a process in which an electronic device gives an electric shock to the heart. This is performed to correct life-threatening fibrillations of the heart, which could result in cardiac arrest. Defibrillation should be performed immediately after identifying that the patient is experiencing a cardiac emergency, has no pulse, and is unresponsive. In recent years small portable defibrillators have become available. These are called automated external defibrillators or AEDs.


The defibrillator is an electronic device with electrocardiogram leads and paddles. During defibrillation, the paddles are placed on the patient's chest, caregivers stand back, and the electric shock is delivered.


Defibrillation should not be performed on a patient who has a pulse or is alert, as this could cause a lethal heart rhythm disturbance or cardiac arrest. In addition, the paddles used in the procedure should not be placed on a woman's breasts or over a pacemaker. Other risks that involves the use of the defibrillation includes skin burns from the defibrillator paddles, injury to the heart muscle, abnormal heart rhythms, and blood clots. Moreover, defibrillation leads can cause fracture as well as serious injuries and even death! For more details refer to Medtronic Defibrillator Recall or Defibrillator Lead Recall. If you know of anyone who is a victim of such Defective Defibrillator Leads, you may now have a better understanding of it all by the help of a Medtronic Recall Lawyer!