My husband had a heart attack on Friday. He was taken straight to the cath lab from the ambulance, and they said there was a massive clot in a major artery. They were able to remove some of the clot but because it was so big they did not insert a stent (danger it would push clots around the heart) and he is now in CCU where they have been giving him blood thinners, insulin (blood sugar in 20s) and CPAP to try to push the fluid out of his lungs and reduce the clot. The consultant told me when he was admitted that when they were sent the ECG by the paramedics they were convinced he would die before he got to the hospital. He also said that there may be permanent damage to his heart. There was no damage to any other arteries and they don't seem to be sure why he had a heart attack (he is slim, eats healthily, exercises etc and is 58 years old).
I am now getting very worried that he is not really improving. They are obviously worried but just keep saying take it a day at a time. He is struggling to breathe, very clammy, grey, and just really poorly. The doctor this morning says the problem is he has pulmonary oedema that doens't seem to be shifting.
My question is, is pulmonary oedema common after heart attacks? Is there a chance now that his heart will recover or does this all mean he will have heart failure? I'm not even sure whther he will recover at all. I am so frightened, and I am trying very hard not to let him see that I am worried. In addition to all the worry of his illness, it all hapened at Gatwick airport just before we boarded a plane (its a miracle he didn't board) so he is in hospital in London many miles from home and I am travelling to London every day to see him, which is a 3 hour journey each way. Our car was at the airport with the house keys in it, our bags were on the plane, its all been so stressful.