Early-onset heart attacks: A condition many do not expect so young
Having a heart attack at age 30 is something most people would never imagine. Yet heart disease remains one of Malaysia’s biggest health concerns.
Data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), released on Dec 18, 2025, shows that ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of death in 2024, accounting for 17,421 deaths, or 13% of all recorded deaths.
Beyond the emotional toll, the long-term impact can also be costly.
Bukit Tinggi Medical Centre (BTMC) consultant cardiologist Dr Shathiskumar Govindaraju noted that projections suggest the cost of managing heart failure in Malaysia could rise to as much as RM199,000 per patient each year.
Most dangerous kind of heart attack
One of the most severe types of heart attack involves the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. This artery supplies blood to a large portion of the heart.
When it becomes blocked, the result is often referred to as a “widowmaker” heart attack due to its high risk of death or lasting heart damage if treatment is delayed.
Time matters. When the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen for too long, permanent damage can occur.
Beyond opening blocked artery
While angioplasty and stenting remain the standard and essential first steps in treating a heart attack – restoring blood flow in the main blocked artery – reopening the main artery does not always mean the heart muscle fully recovers.
“Up to 90% of blood flow to heart tissue occurs in the microvasculature. Damage at this level can persist even after a technically successful procedure,” Shathiskumar explained.
This ongoing injury can lead to scarring of the heart muscle, reduced heart function and a higher risk of heart failure later on.
For selected patients, especially those who suffer a severe LAD or “widowmaker” heart attack, an additional treatment may be considered after angioplasty and stenting. This is known as TherOx SuperSaturated Oxygen (SSO2) Therapy.
Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), SSO2 Therapy is used only after the main artery has been opened. It does not replace angioplasty or stenting. Instead, it is used as an added measure to support recovery.
The therapy delivers very high levels of dissolved oxygen directly to the heart muscle using the patient’s own blood. Highly oxygenated saline is mixed with the blood to create supersaturated blood that carries seven to 10 times more oxygen than normal arterial blood.
This oxygen-rich blood is then delivered to the heart through a small catheter over a 60-minute period.
“Because the oxygen is dissolved rather than carried by red blood cells alone, it can reach areas where blood flow remains limited, particularly in the smaller vessels of the heart muscle,” explained Dr Sivah Sandrasakre, clinical evidence manager of ZOLL Medical Corporation.
The therapy is administered in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory immediately after angioplasty and does not delay emergency treatment.
“In emergency cases, our priority is to save the patient’s heart. We do not wait for insurance approval. We proceed with SSO₂ therapy once the patient is stabilised,” added Shathiskumar.
BTMC is currently the first private hospital in the Asia Pacific region to offer SuperSaturated Oxygen Therapy, marking a step forward in how severe heart attacks are managed beyond the initial life-saving procedures.