Widowmaker Heart Attack

A widowmaker heart attack is a type of heart attack in which you have a full blockage in your heart’s biggest artery. This “widowmaker artery,” the left anterior descending (LAD) artery, sends oxygen-rich blood to your heart’s left ventricle. This heart chamber pumps the blood to your aorta, which sends it to your body.

Healthcare providers call a heart attack a myocardial infarction, which means you don’t have enough blood going to your heart muscle (myocardium). Your heart muscle can die without enough blood flow.

A heart attack is a medical emergency. Call 911 or your local emergency number if you think you’re having a heart attack.

The LAD is the biggest coronary artery and provides a large amount of blood to your heart muscle. This is why a widowmaker heart attack can be fatal.

Symptoms of a widowmaker heart attack

Widowmaker heart attack symptoms include:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Upset stomach
• Tiredness
• Lightheadedness
• Pain in other parts of your upper body (arms, shoulders, neck, jaw or back)

Call 911 or your local emergency number if you have these symptoms. Paramedics can start treating you while you’re on the way to the hospital. Do not drive yourself to the hospital or ask a friend or relative to drive you.

Widowmaker heart attack causes

Atherosclerosis, a buildup of cholesterol and other deposits in your LAD artery, causes a widowmaker heart attack. A blood clot can also block your LAD artery and cause this type of heart attack.

Risk factors

The name sounds like it only affects men. But women can have this type of heart attack, too.

Widowmaker heart attack risk factors include:

• Using tobacco products
• Not getting enough physical activity
• Having certain other medical conditions, like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol
• Being older than age 45 (if you’re male)
• Being older than age 50 (if you’re female)
• Having a family history of heart disease

How to lower your risk

You can reduce your risk of a widowmaker heart attack in many ways, like:

• Managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
• Avoiding tobacco products and alcohol
• Eating foods that don’t have saturated fats
• Limiting sugar intake
• Being physically active for 150 minutes per week
• Staying at a weight that’s healthy for you

Complications of this condition

A lack of blood flow to your heart muscle damages it. This is why you need treatment as soon as possible. Damage to your heart from a heart attack can cause heart failure, which means your heart can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs. Heart damage can also lead to abnormal heart rhythms, which can cause your heart to stop beating (cardiac arrest).

Other complications may include:

• A second heart attack
• Stroke
• Kidney problems

How doctors diagnose this condition

A healthcare provider may use several tests to diagnose a widowmaker heart attack, including:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Echocardiogram
• Blood tests
• Chest X-ray
• Coronary angiogram
• Cardiac computed tomography (CT)
• Heart MRI
• Nuclear heart scan
• Exercise stress test

How is it treated?

The top priority is to get your blood flowing again. And this needs to happen as quickly as possible to limit heart damage. If a heart attack results in cardiac arrest, you may need CPR to help blood move through your body. A shock from a defibrillator can help your heart pump again. After giving emergency care, a healthcare provider will use a mix of these widowmaker heart attack treatments:

• Oxygen therapy: This ensures you’re getting enough oxygen.
• Medicines: These treat pain, blood clots and/or abnormal heart rhythms.
• Angioplasty: This minimally invasive procedure opens your artery to allow blood to flow through.
• Stent: This tiny tube holds your artery open so blood can keep flowing through it.
• Coronary artery bypass surgery: This surgery creates other routes for blood to flow around blockages.

Recovery time

You may be in the hospital for two to four days after a widowmaker heart attack. Some people need to stay longer, especially if they have complications.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Be sure to go to all of your scheduled appointments with your healthcare provider. They’ll want to see how you’re progressing in your recovery. These appointments are also a way to learn if you need a different dose of any of your medicines.

Call 911 or your local emergency number right away if you’re having symptoms of another heart attack.

What can I expect if I have this condition?

The chances of dying from a widowmaker heart attack depend on how much of the “widowmaker artery” has a blockage and how quickly you’re able to receive proper treatment.

The sooner you get treatment, the more likely it is that you’ll survive. Prompt treatment limits damage to your heart muscle and improves your long-term outlook.

If left untreated, a widowmaker heart attack may sometimes lead to death within a few hours. But many people who live several days after a heart attack can recover fully.

Recovery from a treated widowmaker heart attack may take weeks to months. It’s extremely important to attend follow-up appointments and take part in cardiac rehab throughout the recovery period. If your job is physically demanding, talk to your healthcare provider about what level of physical activity is safe to do.

Long-term management of widowmaker heart attacks

After you survive a widowmaker heart attack, your healthcare provider will talk to you about next steps.

Medications

You may leave the hospital with prescriptions to help you, like:

• Antiplatelet agents: Help prevent future heart attacks
• Beta-blockers: Lessen your heart’s workload
• ACE inhibitors or ARBs: Lower your blood pressure
• Statins: Lower your cholesterol
• SGLT2 inhibitors: Manage blood sugar

Cardiac rehab

Attending cardiac rehab can help you prevent another heart attack. With help from experts, you learn about heart-healthy eating and stress management. Supervised physical activity starts slowly and progresses over a number of weeks. You may be walking, riding a stationary bike or lifting weights to make your muscles stronger.