Over 1 million people suffer heart attacks each year in the U.S. Half of them die. Medical experts claim that the condition's mortality rate would decline if victims received the help they needed more quickly. While fast-response treatment is critical, prevention is just as important. There is growing concern that Yaz birth control pills may increase the risk of suffering a heart attack.
Yaz oral contraceptives combine estrogen with a relatively new synthetic progestin called drospirenone. This combination was recently shown to introduce a 6.3-fold increase in the risk of blood clots (when compared to non-use). In this article, I'll explain how Yaz blood clots can trigger a sequence of events that lead to a coronary arterial blockage. I'll also describe common symptoms of a Yaz heart attack, and how the condition is treated.
Evolution Of A Yaz Heart Attack
Blood clotting is a normal function that helps your body repair damaged blood vessels. Red and white blood cells combine with platelets to produce a protein called fibrin. Fibrin forms a mesh to help repair the damage.
Unfortunately, Yaz oral contraceptives have been known to contribute to abnormal clotting - that is, clots that are unnecessary. This can become dangerous, especially if a clot forms within a deep vein. A blood clot within a deep vein is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Such clots can break away from the deep venous lining and travel along with your blood toward your heart.
If the clot reaches a coronary artery (i.e. an artery that feeds oxygenated blood to your heart), it can form a blockage. If the blockage is large enough to starve a portion of your heart muscle, you will suffer a Yaz heart attack.
Signs And Symptoms
The most common signs of a heart attack include chest pain and shortness of breath. You might feel a gripping or squeezing sensation in your chest as your heart muscle is starved of blood and oxygen. The pain or discomfort often spreads to other areas of the body; you might feel pain in your jaw, stomach, neck, back, and arms. As the heart attack progresses, you may also experience nausea and vomiting, and lightheadedness.
If any of these symptoms present, it is important that you act fast and seek medical attention. While a heart attack can progress over several hours, it usually happens quickly, which places your life at immediate risk.
Treating A Heart Attack Caused by Yaz
Treatment may be applied in multiple stages. An emergency response medical team will supply oxygen to help compensate for the blocked coronary artery. Aspirin will be supplied to curb further clotting. Doctors may administer thrombolytic medications to help break up Yaz blood clots that have blocked the arteries. Beta blockers and ACE inhibitors can also be administered to reduce the workload on your heart as it struggles to pump blood throughout your body.
The next phase of treatment is introduced if medications are unsuccessful in controlling the heart attack. Your doctor might perform angioplasty, a procedure in which a catheter is threaded to the blocked coronary artery. Once it reaches the site, a balloon on the end of the catheter expands, widening the artery to reestablish blood flow.
In severe cases when a Yaz blood clot cannot be removed or broken apart, and angioplasty is unsuccessful, a surgeon may perform an emergency coronary artery bypass graft. An artery is taken from another area of your body and used to bypass the blockage in order to supply blood to your heart.
You'll note how the entire process described above can be triggered by the formation of Yaz blood clots within a deep vein. The risk of clotting when taking this oral contraceptive is significant. If you or someone you know has experienced abnormal clotting, DVT, or heart attack after using this birth control pill, you may have a legal claim.
