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If you are unable to work because of a heart Attack you may be able to make a TPD claim for a lump sum from the Total & Permanent Disabilty insurance contained within your superannuation (super) fund. There is no necessity for you to have been involved in an accident or to have suffered a work related injury to make a TPD claim. If you suffer from total and permanent disability, you may be able to make a TPD claim in addition to receiving your super early as a result of your condition. Our TPD claim solicitors can advise you in detail as to the requirements of a successful submission, they will prepare all relevant paperwork and will obtain full supporting documentation. Our TPD lawyers will give you advice on the likely success of your claim to a super fund, without further obligation. It costs nothing to use our advice service. Our heart attack TPD claim solicitors use a risk free no win no fee arrangement. We have offices situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Darwin. Heart Attack - TPDA heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart is compromised, either because of a blockage of an artery in the heart or because of a spasm of an artery that supplies the heart. Not enough oxygen gets to the heart muscle and the heart muscle becomes damaged and dies. This is also called a myocardial infarction. Most heart attacks are caused by a thrombus or blood clot that forms in a narrowed area of the heart. The narrowed areas are due to cholesterol deposits that build up over time. Everyone has some cholesterol plaques on their coronary arteries but some people have blockages in the range of 70 to 100 percent, which are especially prone to blood clot formation within the narrowed area. The narrowing of the heart arteries is called atherosclerosis. Heart attacks can occur due to significant or sudden physical or emotional distress. The risk factors include an increased age, especially over 65 years old, being male, having diabetes, having a strong family history of the disease, smoking, having high blood pressure, having too much fat in your diet and having unhealthy cholesterol levels in the body. Patients with long-standing kidney disease are at risk for coronary artery disease and heart attack. Symptoms of a heart attack can vary from person to person but most have chest pain that feels like a tight band around the heart, indigestion or something heavy on the chest. You can feel shortness of breath, anxiety, a cough, an episode of fainting, nausea or vomiting, sweating, or palpitations. If you are elderly or have diabetes or are female, you may not have obvious chest pain. This is called a “silent heart attack”. Doctors can do an EKG in order to determine if someone has a heart attack. It is considered a medical emergency. The doctor will do a complete history and targeted physical exam and can do an echocardiogram to show if there is heart damage. Some patients receive immediate clot busters for heart attack so the diagnosis of heart attack must be quick and accurate. Other tests that can be done are a coronary angiogram, a CT scan of the chest, MRI of the chest and a nuclear ventriculography. There are blood tests that can tell if there is heart muscle damage, which include troponin I and troponin T, CPK and CPK-MB and serum myoglobin tests. The CPK-MB is an enzyme that is found in heart muscle and is released when heart muscle is damaged. The treatment of heart attacks is multifold. It involves using clot busters and blood thinners in order to open up the arteries and dissolve the clots causing the heart attack. This is usually done in an intensive care unit. Arrhythmias can happen after a heart attack and can be deadly. Medications are given to suppress arrhythmias and the person is placed on constant arrhythmia monitoring. Oxygen is given to hyperoxygenate the heart muscle. In some cases, a stent is placed after an emergency angiography, which visualizes the heart vessels and can find areas of blockages of the heart. The stent is a tube placed in the artery that holds the vessel open. This is best done on an emergency basis to try and save a part of the heart. Other vessels can be done at the same time in order to prevent further heart attacks. Clot busting drugs include medication that is given by IV that actually breaks up the blood clots. They must be given within three hours following a heart attack. There are a lot of restrictions to getting clot busting drugs like TPA, such as having had a recent haemorrhage or having blood vessel malformations. A history of stroke recently is a contraindication to getting clot buster drugs as is a recent head injury. Other medications for heart attack include aspirin, which is given quickly as an anti-platelet drug. Clopidogrel or Plavix is another anti-platelet drug that is used to prevent further heart attacks.  |
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