Jun 16, 2008 4:30 pm US/Eastern
Health: Sudden Heart Attacks
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
300,000 Americans die every year from a sudden heart attack, that's over 800 people a day. And doctors say there are often no warning signs.
Tim Russert had heart disease, but his doctor says it was under control with unspecified medications, and he'd just passed a stress test in April.
"Stress tests aren't perfect," said Dr. Howard Herrmann, a cardiologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
He says a stress test only measures blood flow during exercise.
While it's an important tool, along with monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol, the science of cardiology only goes so far.
"We don't have good ways to actually predicting the timing or development of a heart attack," said Dr. Herrmann.
When coronary artery disease becomes deadly, a piece of plaque breaks off from inside a blood vessel, and forms a clot that blocks blood flow.
"We don't really know exactly what causes that. It can be precipitated sometimes by stress or a sudden, surge in adrenaline," said Dr. Herrmann.
A new study released Monday shows PET scans, which look at cells in the heart muscle, can detect, in a unique way, some of the earliest stages of heart disease.
But ultimately Tim Russert's death shows, in spite of all the advances, heart attacks strike without warning.
"It's a great wake up call to people," said Dr. Herrmann.
Doctors say there are things you can do to reduce the risk of a sudden cardiac arrest. The three most important are stop smoking, eating a low fat diet and exercising.
RELATED LINKS:
Sudden Cardiac Death Info
Heart Attack Risk Assessment Tool
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