What is the Widowmaker?

A widowmaker is an informal term for a heart attack

heart attack

A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may travel into the shoulder, arm, back, neck or jaw.

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Myocardial infarction - Wikipedia

that involves 100 percent blockage in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery

left anterior descending (LAD) artery

Widow maker (medicine), a nickname used to describe a highly stenotic left main coronary artery or proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery of the heart, which is very often fatal.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Widow_maker

Widow maker - Wikipedia

, says Stanley Chetcuti, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center.

What is the survival rate of the Widow-Maker?

A heart attack from a blockage in the main artery that goes down the front of the heart, known as the widowmaker, is often the most fatal. According to the American Heart Association, the survival rate following a widowmaker heart attack is only 12% when it occurs outside of a hospital or advanced care center.

What are the signs of the Widow-Maker?

Why is it called Widowmaker?

A heart attack is particularly dangerous when it's caused by blockage in the left anterior descending artery, which supplies blood to the larger, front part of the heart, earning it this scary-sounding nickname.

Can a widow-maker heart attack be prevented?

As with most illnesses of this nature, it's easier to avoid the widowmaker heart attack than it is to survive it. You can prevent the widowmaker by making key lifestyle changes (and we'll get to those) but the best way to get checked is with a regular cardiac scan to assess your coronary calcium score.

Steering Clear of the Widow Maker

What is the deadliest type of heart attack?

All heart attacks are serious, but one type of is the most dangerous of all and it's known as a STEMI (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction), or a widowmaker heart attack.

Are there symptoms before a Widowmaker heart attack?

Widowmaker heart attack symptoms and treatment

A patient experiencing a widowmaker would have typical heart attack symptoms of arm and chest pain, lightheadedness or shortness of breath, among others. “It's not different from any other heart attack; it's just in a more critical area,” Chetcuti says.

Why is the Widowmaker blue?

Widowmaker is noted to have blue skin due to covert training in which her physiology altered to slow her heart, effectively turning her skin the color seen in-game.

Can you stent a 100% blocked artery?

Coronary arteries with severe blockages, up to 99%, can often be treated with traditional stenting procedure. Once an artery becomes 100% blocked, it is considered a coronary chronic total occlusion, or CTO. Specialized equipment, techniques and physician training are required to open the artery with a stent.

What percentage of artery blockage requires a stent?

“For a cardiac stent procedure to qualify as a medical necessity, it is generally accepted that a patient must have at least 70% blockage of an artery and symptoms of blockage,” Justice Department attorneys wrote.

Is The Widowmaker hereditary?

The risk factors for a widowmaker heart attack, as with any heart attack, are primarily lifestyle choices or genetic factors that affect your cholesterol levels. If heart attacks run in your family, you're more likely to have one. Also, your risk of having a heart attack increases as you get older.

Can a widow maker Be Fixed?

The extent of the blockage can vary widely from 1% to 100%. “Many people can survive widow-makers if we get them treatment right away,” Niess said. And the patient's blocked artery can often be reopened with a stent, he added. Like other types of heart attack, this one is largely preventable.

What is the best test to check for clogged arteries?

A CT coronary angiogram can reveal plaque buildup and identify blockages in the arteries, which can lead to a heart attack. Prior to the test, a contrast dye is injected into the arm to make the arteries more visible. The test typically takes 30 minutes to complete.

How long can you live after heart stents?

Survival was 99.5% at 1 year and 97.4% after 5 years; "event free survival" was 84.6% at 1 year and 65.9% after 5 years; "ischemia free survival" was 84.6% at 1 year and 44.8% after 5 years.

How do you check for a heart blockage at home?

Place your index and middle finger of your hand on the hollow part of your inner wrist of the other arm, just below the base of the thumb. You should feel a tapping or pulse against your fingers, that is your heartbeat. Look at your watch and count the number of taps you feel in 10 seconds.

Which artery is the most common to have blockage?

Importance in cardiovascular diseases:

The LAD artery is the most commonly occluded of the coronary arteries. It provides the major blood supply to the interventricular septum, and thus bundle branches of the conducting system.

How long will a stent last?

The stent stays in the artery permanently to hold it open and improve blood flow to your heart. In some cases, more than one stent may be needed to open a blockage.

Can Walking reduce heart blockage?

Based on a meta-analysis, Zheng and colleagues [16] estimate that 8 MET hours/week of walking (approximately 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week, consistent with PA recommendations [1] is associated with a 19% reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.

Which is better stent or bypass?

Patients with severe coronary artery disease generally fared better with bypass surgery than with stents to open blocked arteries, according to a major new multinational study led by Stanford Medicine investigators.

What did Talon do to Widowmaker?

Talon operatives kidnapped her and subjected her to an intense program of neural reconditioning. They broke her will, suppressed her personality, and reprogrammed her as a sleeper agent. She was eventually found by Overwatch agents, apparently none the worse for wear, and returned to her normal life.

Who did Widowmaker love?

“One shot, one kill.” Widowmaker is the perfect assassin: a patient, ruthlessly efficient killer who shows neither emotion nor remorse. It is believed that in her former life, Widowmaker was married to Gérard Lacroix, an Overwatch agent spearheading operations against the Talon terrorist organization.

How long does it take to recover from a Widowmaker heart attack?

Widowmaker Heart Attack Recovery

It may be three months before you fully recover from surgery. The hospital stay and recovery period after angioplasty are much quicker. You should go home within a day or two.

What are the 4 signs of an impending heart attack?

What are the 4 silent signs of a heart attack in a woman?