Неврозы – Neuroses

If the blockage occurs in a large artery, so much heart muscle may be deprived of blood that the heart cannot cope with its normal function and death may occur. This may be immediate or happen within a few hours, a day, or longer.

Sudden death is always a possibility following a heart attack and the risk is greatest in the first few hours, decreasing over the following 48.

The cause of death is usually due to the development of an abnormal heart rhythm.

Damage to the heart muscle may make electrical conduction through the heart unstable.

There are a number of abnormalities of rhythm but the one causing death is ventricular fibrillation.

The best way to prevent or treat this is for the person to be under the care of trained medical or paramedical personnel.

Coronary care units have been established in all public and most large private hospitals. The person with the suspected heart attack is admitted to this special ward and is monitored by having a continuous electrocardiograph displayed on screens.

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It must be stressed that the evidence is not all bad. Some of the studies involve such small numbers that no valid conclusions can be drawn.

An epileptic woman who stops taking drugs because she becomes pregnant is at risk of having convulsions. The convulsion with the associated lack of oxygen during the fit may, in itself, be dangerous to the foetus.

Besides, most women do not know they are pregnant until four or six weeks after conception.

The developing foetus has already been exposed to the drug and stopping it when pregnancy is confirmed may be too late, if in fact, the drug does have harmful effects.

All life is a risk and, at the moment, it appears there is a greater risk to the baby if the epileptic woman stops her medication during pregnancy than if she continues it.

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