While grocery shopping for her family, Melissa Salazar’s world almost came to a tragic end. With excruciating pain in her chest and sweat soaking her clothes, Salazar was suddenly fighting for every painful breath.

Paramedics rushed her to Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. The 42-year-old mother of two was having a heart attack, and doctors would have to perform a radial artery technique through her wrist to open the potentially deadly heart blockage.

“When we say the face of heart disease is changing, it means it’s not exclusive to older men,” said Dr. Juzar Lokhandwala, an interventional cardiologist on the Texas Health Arlington Memorial medical staff. “It’s happening in younger patients, regardless of gender. Melissa, unfortunately, is a perfect example of this change.”

A recent clinical study at the Cleveland Clinic determined that people suffering from heart attacks in the U.S. were slightly younger, compared to American heart attack patients 15 years ago. Analyzing people over the course of 20 years, the study also determined that the younger patients were more likely to smoke, more likely to have diabetes and more likely to be obese.

Although Salazar has no family history of heart disease, she admits several factors played a role in her cardiac episode. She’d gained weight, didn’t exercise and had a habit of eating fatty foods. With two young boys, Salazar’s weekends were consumed with soccer and football games. And working full-time at Texas Health Arlington Memorial for more than 16 years, Salazar thought she was balancing her work and personal life like a pro.

But that was before her near-fatal heart attack.

At Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Salazar’s interventional cardiologist determined that one of her major arteries was 85 percent blocked. The cardiologist performed a heart catheterization using a radial artery technique through Salazar’s wrist. She then unblocked her artery with three stents.

Multiple research studies have determined that heart catheterization through the wrist results in better outcomes, compared to the more common approach, where the catheter is inserted through the leg. Specifically, research has shown that going in through the wrist leads to:

• Fewer bleeding complications;
• Improved patient comfort;
• Faster recovery time; and
• Decreased costs for the patient

“I’m glad they went through my wrist,” Salazar said. “If they would have inserted the catheter through my leg, I would’ve been lying on my back for several hours for the other procedure,” she said.

Now, the only physical reminder of Salazar’s heart attack are two small scars that look more like pinpricks.

Texas Health hospitals have been offering cardiac catheterization through the radial artery for more than five years. Last year alone, interventional cardiologists on the medical staff, such as Parin Parikh, M.D., performed more than 2,000 procedures at Texas Health facilities using this innovative approach. That number equates to about 20 percent of Texas Health’s heart cath procedures.

“We want to lower and potentially eliminate the risk of bleeding and blood clots,” said Dr. Parikh, a cardiologist on the Texas Health Dallas medical staff and a member of Presbyterian Heart & Vascular Group, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice.

“We also want to help patients get out of bed sooner and return to their families with an improved quality of life.”

And Salazar is doing just that. She’s back at work, but most importantly, she’s alive and enjoying her family.

“This was definitely a life-changing experience for me. I’m young, but I had a heart attack at 42,” Salazar said. “I’ll continue to make wise food choices and exercise, because I need to be around for my family. That’s enough incentive for me.”

How Old is Your Heart?™ Take our assessment to gauge your risk, or find out more about Texas Health heart and vascular services near you.