Heart attacks are one of the primary causes of death in America. Because of the prevalence of high cholesterol, heart disease and other cardiac conditions, more than one million people in the U.S. suffer heart attacks each year. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, is the sudden cessation of the blood supply to part of the heart muscle, the myocardium, which is severely occluded or blocked. The blockage typically occurs over a long period of time and is typically a symptom of high cholesterol that develops into arthrosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Additionally, the coronary arteries that provide the heart with blood and oxygen supply can be compromised by disease if they become narrow and blood cannot flow sufficiently. Fats or plaque builds up; hardening the heart and ultimately something may burst, rupture or rip which will cause a blood clot that ultimately provokes the heart attack.
The heart and brain need a consistent supply of blood and oxygen to maintain function and if you suffer from a heart attack and your blood supply is stopped for more than a few minutes, your heart muscle cells can suffer permanent damage. If your heart is damaged too badly, a heart attack sufferer can be disabled or die. Heart attack symptoms can include a feeling of acute discomfort that radiates to the back, the jaw, the throat or the upper arm, a choking feeling, sweating, nausea and vomiting, extreme weakness and dizziness, anxiety or shortness of breath, and chest pressure or heaviness and distinct pain in the chest.
Several drugs on today’s market, some of which were recently recalled actually prompted heart attacks in a vast number of people causing pain, injury and many deaths. Some of these prescription drugs include Cox 2 Inhibitors like Bextra, Celebrex and Vioxx and HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) drugs like Premarin, Premphase and Prempro.
In 2004, Merck, the pharmaceutical giant who developed the Cox 2 Inhibitor Vioxx, was ultimately forced to pull the drug from the market because of the high rate of incidence of heart attacks in patients taking the drug. In one study (out of many published) more than 27,000 sudden cardiac deaths and heart attacks were linked to Vioxx. The FDA did warn patients, prior to the drug being removed from the market, that taking Vioxx created a 50 % higher incidence of heart attacks.
Several years ago, it was thought that hormone replacement therapy was the salvation from peri-menopausal and menopausal women across the country. Unfortunately, it was then discovered that many of these hormone replacement therapy drugs were tied to an increased risk of heart attack. Premarin, one of these HRT drugs, was linked to a high incidence of heart disease and heart attacks in women as well as other serious diseases like ovarian cancer, lupus, scleroderma, gallbladder cancer and stroke.
If you or someone you love has been the victim of a heart attack because of exposure to a defective drug or defective product, you should consult with a personal injury attorney or with a product liability attorney as soon as you can.