Heart Attack Recovery and Medications You May Consider

Featuring Dr. Graham Wong, MD, MPH, FRCPC, FACC
Heart Attack Recovery and Medications You May Consider
Duration: 1 minute, 19 seconds

So a myocardial infarction, otherwise known as a heart attack, is what we call an acute manifestation of the chronic disease called atherosclerotic heart disease. What a heart attack refers to is death of heart muscle that is caused by a cessation of blood flow to the heart muscle caused by a blockage.

The mainstay of therapy are blood-thinning drugs, and the most common blood-thinning drug we use is Aspirin. Other blood-thinning drugs that are sometimes chosen in addition to Aspirin, depending on various other conditions that influence whether or not you use more drugs, include a drug called Clopidogrel or Plavix.

And there are some newer drugs that have promise above and beyond Clopidogrel; these drugs are named Effient or the generic name is prasugrel, or Brilinta, otherwise known as ticagrelor.

Every individual has a unique set of medical conditions and a unique biology to them, and so medication choices for a particular individual may not be the same or appropriate for another individual. Therefore, if you have any medication related issues, you should consult your own medical care provider.

Presenter: Dr. Graham Wong, Cardiologist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Cardiologist