Heart attacks and treatmentsHeart attacks occur when the arteries that supplyblood to the heart are blocked. Without oxygenfrom the blood, part of the heart muscle can diewithin hours. Heart attack treatments have two goals:in the short run, to limit immediate damage to theheart; in the long run, to reduce arterial blockage. Heart attack patients typically receive a combinationof therapies, which may include both invasive (orsurgical) and non-invasive treatments.The primaryinvasive treatments are heart bypass surgery andangioplasty, both of which are preceded by diag-nostic surgical treatments. Bypass surgery involvesgrafting an artery or vein around the blocked artery.Angioplasty involves using a balloon catheter tobreak up blockages in arteries. Non-invasive pro-cedures include drug therapies such as clot-busting(thrombolytic) drugs and ACE inhibitors that reducethe pressure of blood flowing to the heart, as wellas therapies to change lifestyles, such as exerciseand smoking cessation programs.