My friend had a an attack while working, heart rate increased to 180/min, (atrial fib). B/p was very high 220/160, He passed out. taken to the hospital, diagnosis was cardiomyopathy. He thinks He did not have a heart attack. He states the Dr. never said the words Heart attack. Did He have a heart attack? this was 5 years ago, He is now doing well on medications, EF has increased from 20% to 47% .
It's hard to say whether he truly had a heart attack. Cardiomyopathy is a general term that can refer to many disease processes that weaken the contracting function of the heart (which can be measured by the ejection fraction). It can certainly be caused by a heart attack. The diagnosis of a heart attack can be made with either an electrocardiogram (ECG) or cardiac enzymes (blood tests). He can request this information from the hospital where he was treated. The improvement in EF is a good thing, it means that the pumping function of his heart has improved significantly, almost to a normal level. I hope this answers your question.