What Is a Widowmaker Heart Attack?
Heart attacks can be deadly, and the widowmaker is one of the deadliest kinds. It can happen suddenly when a key artery that moves blood to the heart gets almost or completely blocked. The left anterior descending (LAD) artery provides blood to a large part of your heart. Cutting off that blood flow can cause damage to your heart muscle. Without emergency treatment, you may not survive.
Despite its name, the widowmaker strikes women and those assigned female at birth, too. However, it's more common in men and those assigned male at birth, and it can strike younger people.
The medical term for a heart attack is "myocardial infarction," and the medical term for a widowmaker is "ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction," or STEMI.
How Does a Widowmaker Heart Attack Occur?
Your heart muscleneeds a constant supply of blood. When something cuts off the flow, you have a heart attack. Without oxygen, the cells in your heart muscles start to die in minutes.
The blood supply can be reduced when fat, cholesterol, and a substance called plaque build up in the arteries that supply blood to your heart. The medical term for narrowed arteries is atherosclerosis.
Plaque can break apart in your artery, causing a blood clot. A clot can block your artery completely.
A widowmaker is when you get a big blockage at the beginning of the left main artery or the LAD. They’re a major pipeline for blood. The LAD carries about 50% of your heart's blood supply. If blood gets 100% blocked at that critical location, it may be fatal without emergency care.
Widowmaker Heart Attack Symptoms
The warning signs and symptoms for all heart attacks are the same. There's no way to tell whether you're having a widowmaker heart attack from your symptoms.
- Chest pain or discomfort. This is the most common symptom for women and men. You may feel pain, pressure, squeezing, or fullness in the center of your chest for several minutes. The feeling might go away and then return
- Upper body pain or discomfort. You might feel it in one or both arms, your back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Shortness of breath. You feel like you can’t catch your breath. This can happen with or without chest discomfort. Women report this more often than men do.
- Nausea
- Cold sweat
- Lightheadedness
- Pain in the back of the jaw
Quick treatment can save your life. Call 911 right away. That’s almost always better than having someone drive you to the ER. Paramedics can try to restart your heart immediately if it’s stopped.
What Causes a Widowmaker Heart Attack?
Heart attacks, including widowmakers, usually happen because of a combination of lifestyle and genetic reasons. Cholesterol and fatty plaque clog your arteries over time and choke off blood. Plaques can break open, which could lead to a blood clot that may block your artery.
Who Is at Risk for Widowmaker Heart Attacks?
You’re more likely to have a heart attack if you:
- Smoke
- Are obese
- Eat a lot of unhealthy foods
- Are older than 45 (men) or 55 (women)
- Don’t exercise
- Have high blood pressure
- Have uncontrolled diabetes
- Have a family history of heart disease
- Have a high level of lipoprotein(a), a type of fatty particle, in your blood. This inherited condition isn't picked up on standard cholesterol tests.
- Use illegal stimulants, such as cocaine or methamphetamine
- Have an autoimmune condition such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus
- Are under a great deal of stress
- Have a history of preeclampsia, high blood pressure during pregnancy
Diagnosing a Widowmaker Heart Attack
If your health care team thinks you've had a heart attack, they may use several tests to confirm the diagnosis:
Electrocardiogram (EKG). Electrodes are placed on your body using sticky patches, and they record your heart's electrical signals. The signals will show up as waves on a screen or a paper printout.
Blood tests. When a heart attack damages the heart muscle, certain proteins leak into your bloodstream. A blood test will show whether you have these proteins, called cardiac markers.
Chest X-ray. An X-ray shows the condition of your lungs and heart. It will show if your heart is enlarged.
Echocardiogram. This is a type of ultrasound. It uses sound waves to create images of your heart. It can show how well blood is moving and whether any parts of your heart are damaged.
Coronary catheterization. A long, thin tube is inserted into an artery, usually through the groin. Using a dye, it provides a clearer picture of the condition of your arteries and where blockages may be. This is also called an angiogram or a heart cath. Certain treatments also can be done during this process.
Cardiac CT or MRI. These scans can help detect any damage to your heart. CT uses X-rays, while MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves.
Widowmaker Heart Attack Treatment
Getting help right away is critically important if you've had a heart attack.
First aid for widowmaker heart attacks
- Call 911 or the emergency number for your area. Do this before anything else.
- Take an aspirin if a health care professional recommends it.
- Take nitroglycerin if you have it. It's often prescribed for people with heart disease.
- Start CPR if the person has no pulse or isn't breathing.
- Use an automated external defibrillator (AED) if you can find one. AEDs are often placed in public buildings. You don't need special training to use it.
Once health care providers arrive, you'll probably get an oxygen mask to help you breathe, and you may receive medication to treat your pain, break up blood clots, and help your heart beat normally.
Surgeries and procedures for widowmaker heart attacks
At the hospital, the health care team will work quickly to unblock your LAD. They may perform procedures such as:
Coronary angioplasty and stents. This procedure can be done during a catheterization. The doctor uses a thin tube (catheter) inserted into your artery to expand a balloon. This widens your narrowed artery and improves blood flow. The doctor may also insert a metal mesh tube, called a stent, to help hold the artery open. Sometimes, stents are coated with medication that also helps keep the artery open. This procedure is also called a percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI.
Coronary artery bypass grafting. In this open-heart surgery, the surgeon takes a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body and grafts it into place to create a workaround for an artery that's blocked. You might have it as an emergency surgery after a heart attack, or you might have it a few days later after you've recovered a bit. It's also called CABG.
Valve replacement. If doctors find a problem with one of your heart valves, you may undergo open-heart surgery to correct that problem. A surgeon will remove the damaged valve and replace it with one made of synthetic materials or animal tissue.
Long-Term Management of Widowmaker Heart Attacks
Once the immediate crisis has passed, your doctor will work with you on a plan to manage your condition.
Medications
Among the drugs you might begin taking after a heart attack are:
- Statins to help lower your level of unhealthy cholesterol
- Beta-blockers, which slow your heartbeat and ease the strain on your heart
- Blood thinners, which make your blood less likely to clot
- Blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors to lower your blood pressure
- Nitroglycerin, which you can use to widen blood vessels if you feel chest pain or other symptoms
Cardiac rehabilitation
Doctors often prescribe an exercise and education program, which is tailored specifically to your needs. It involves monitored workouts to see how your heart is doing, advice on improving your diet, and stress reduction techniques. It can last a few weeks or a few months.
How to Prevent Widowmaker Heart Attacks
You can take steps to reduce your risk. They include:
- Don't smoke.
- Eat a healthy diet focused on vegetables, fruits, grains, and lean proteins.
- Limit your alcohol use.
- Exercise -- aim for 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.
- Manage your stress.
- Stay at a healthy weight.
- Get regular checkups.
- Keep an eye on key numbers: cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Takeaways
A widowmaker heart attack happens when a key blood vessel -- the left anterior descending artery -- is blocked. The LAD provides about 50% of the blood to your heart. This type of heart attack has a higher risk of being fatal. The symptoms are the same as any other kind of heart attack. If you or someone you're with shows symptoms of a heart attack, get emergency medical help right away. Doctors can perform procedures to clear the blockage and start you on a program to prevent future cardiac issues.
Widowmaker Heart Attack FAQS
Why do they call it the widowmaker?
The medical term for this kind of heart attack is "ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction," or STEMI. It's called widowmaker because it can be life-threatening if you don't receive immediate medical help. Although this type of heart attack can strike anyone, it's more common among men and those assigned male at birth.
What is the widowmaker disease?
A widowmaker heart attack happens when your heart's left anterior descending artery is blocked. That's caused by cholesterol and fat buildup on the walls of your arteries. The medical term for this condition is atherosclerosis.
Can a widowmaker be fixed?
If you receive quick medical attention, your odds of survival go up. About half of people who die of heart attacks do so in the first few hours. Doctors at the hospital can unblock your LAD using surgical procedures. Medicine and lifestyle changes can reduce your chances of another heart attack.
What does the medical abbreviation LAD mean?
The term LAD stands for left anterior descending artery. It's the vessel that supplies about 50% of the blood your heart needs to work properly.
