• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work & Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
      • Readers’ Choice Awards
        • Rachel’s peaceful semi-detached house in Singapore
        • Design Orchard Singapore Fashion council activationExperience and shop Singapore brands at Design Orchard
        • Singapore History – Trivia & Things!
        • co-curricular activitiesAustralian International School turns 30: new facilities & more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • Singapore Chinese Cultural CentreWhat’s on this week and beyond
        • What we are listening to: Great podcasts, Music and more!
        • Great books: What to read this month
        • What to watch (or not!): Netflix series, TV and movies
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • co-curricular activitiesAustralian International School turns 30: new facilities & more!
        • Portrait photography in Singapore: the best studios in town
        • Fabulous Father’s Day Present Ideas & Things to Do
        • character developmentAuthentic American education at XCL American Academy
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • woody antique house artefactsAsian antiques, artefacts & outdoor furniture at Woody’s
        • Which florist in Singapore has a house on Duchess Avenue?
        • Home News: New furniture, home décor & services
        • Fabulous dinnerware, crockery and tableware in Singapore!
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Australasia
      • Rest Of The World
        • Holiday in Thailand resort on the beachTwo destinations for a holiday in Thailand
        • Travel News & Hotel Deals
        • Things to do in Dubai with familyHave some fun at one of the best hotels in Dubai
        • Beach holiday resortsFancy a long weekend getaway at a beach resort?
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • COL new restaurantHot new restaurant COL is a warehouse wonder
        • New Nibbles: Foodie news!
        • Hydration: Drinking water for good health
        • 16 of the best breakfast spots in Singapore!
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • afternoon teaWhat to wear for afternoon tea in Singapore
        • Design Orchard Singapore Fashion council activationExperience and shop Singapore brands at Design Orchard
        • Where to buy buy essential oils in Singapore
        • anti-frizz hair treatmentFrizzy hair treatments – from keratin to hair botox!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • Where to buy buy essential oils in Singapore
        • Health News: What’s up!
        • candles in singapore with essential oilsCandles with essential oils – the perfect gift!
        • Top personal trainers in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • Close

How to prevent a heart attack

16th October 2021 by Amy Greenburg 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/how-to-prevent-a-heart-attack-symptoms-cardiac-monitoring-device/

You’d think a heart attack would be hard to miss. However, there are often no heart attack symptoms, or at least the symptoms are atypical. So, if you’re wondering “How do I know if I’m having a heart attack?” or want to know how to prevent a heart attack in the first place, you’ll want to read this. A Singapore cardiologist shares how lifestyle changes, cardiac screening and a cardiac monitoring device can help.

How do I know if I’m having a heart attack?

Sometimes, you don’t.

The film scene where a person clutches their chest and collapses to the ground can be very different to how typical heart attack symptoms work in real life. In reality, one of the top heart attack symptoms is back pain, which is often ignored because it’s not recognised as a typical sign of heart attack.

Other heart attack symptoms may include:

  • Pain or discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including the arms, neck, jaw, or stomach
  • Difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath
  • Sweating or “cold sweat”
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Fullness, indigestion or a choking, heartburn-like feeling
  • Extreme weakness or anxiety
  • Rapid or irregular heart beats

heart attack symptoms how to prevent a heart attack cardiologist

Surprisingly, 50 percent of all heart attacks have no symptoms – known as a silent heart attack – or they have atypical heart attack symptoms.

As a result, many people don’t even find out that they’ve had a heart attack until weeks or even months later. They often delay to seek help or contact their cardiologist because the symptoms are not what they expected.

By that time, the permanent damage to the muscle of the heart has already been done, explains Singapore cardiologist DR LESLIE LAM of The Cardiac Centre at Farrer Park Hospital.

However, if the patient is treated within an hour or two of the heart attack, much of that damage can be prevented or reversed with treatments to restore blood flow to the damaged muscle tissue.

“The quicker a patient gets to the hospital, the quicker the heart attack can be diagnosed and treated. This would mean a greater chance of a full recovery,” says Dr Lam.

So, exactly how do you prevent a heart attack?

Here are three ways you can prevent a heart attack.

#1 Cardiac monitoring device

Even patients who have had heart attacks before can fail to recognise the symptoms of another one, or they can have another silent one with no symptoms before it. They can be at greater risk of suffering serious damage, or even death.

Thankfully, there is now a device that alerts patients to seek immediate medical attention.

The FDA-approved AngelMed Guardian is the world’s first implanted cardiac monitoring device that can warn patients of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events such as heart attacks. It’s intended for use in high-risk patients, including those who have previously suffered a heart attack and remain at high risk for recurrent and possibly fatal events.

how to prevent a heart attack with cardiac monitoring device

Patients who have used the device say that it has helped improve their quality of life, as it reduces anxiety, and gives them the confidence to enjoy life and be more active.

Here’s how the AngelMed Guardian works:

Although you’ll be kept at the hospital overnight just in case, the device is simple to implant, says Dr Lam. It’s placed under the skin below the clavicle and attached to the heart with a sensor lead, much like a pacemaker. It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to continuously monitor the patient’s heart signals. The device alerts the patient to any danger by vibrating. There’s also an external alarm that beeps and has blinking lights.

“Although the AngelMed monitor is a new technology, the operation is almost the same as placing a pacemaker. More than 700,000 pacemarkers are implanted each year – so surgical teams are already very familiar with the procedure.”

Talk to your cardiologist to find out if the device is right for you.

#2 Make healthier lifestyle changes

Of course, reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease is the best way to prevent a heart attack. This can be done by making certain lifestyle changes. These may include:

  • stopping smoking;
  • lowering your cholesterol;
  • managing your blood pressure;
  • lowering your stress levels; and
  • getting enough sleep.

#3 Go for a cardiac screening

While a 100-percent heart-healthy lifestyle is unrealistic for many, a cardiac screening is a good way to identify an individual’s current risk status so he or she can make changes accordingly. This, in turn, reduces the chances of a heart attack or stroke.

Therefore, seeing your cardiologist for a screening is another key way to prevent a heart attack. A cardiac screening makes it possible to pick up important risk factors that have been accumulating over the years. It can also help us to pause and realise the need to make positive changes to our behaviours. This will help prevent cardiac events that could have a significant impact on our lives and our families’ lives.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with The Cardiac Centre, call 6732 1881 or 6734 0788, or visit leslielam.com.sg.


Like this? Read more in our
Health & Fitness section.

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

Categories: Health & Fitness Medical Tags: AngelMed Guardian cardiac device cardiologist heart attack symptoms how to prevent a heart attack The Cardiac Centre

Amy Greenburg

Originally from Los Angeles, Amy is passionate about Netflix, sipping rosé at rooftop bars, travelling, and all things health and wellness-related. She enjoys learning about different health topics through her writing, particularly critical health conditions, food allergies, alternative therapies, and pregnancy and postpartum-related issues

You May Also Like

Hydration: Drinking water for good health

Ankle sprain solutions for swelling & pain

Sally Mounir psychotherapist in Singapore

Processing trauma, grief & loss with psychotherapy

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2023 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.