A heart attack is an acute condition caused by a thrombus (a blood clot) occluding (or blocking) one of the vessels supplying the heart muscle. This results in severe pain usually radiating down the left arm but may be referred to the neck or jaw. The Normal treatment would be additional oxygen, an anticoagulant and perhaps an enzyme that helps to dissolve the clot. Of course because of the severity of pain, morphine or demerol is usually used to both relax the patient and mitigate the pain. It is customary to use an intravenous solution drip to administer medications but also as a ready pathway if a further attach occurs. This is called a myocardial infarction. Heart failure is the inability of the heart to circulate blood over distal areas and causes a pooling of blood with concomitent swelling of extremities. The small valves within the veins have lost their integrity and are no longer able to assist the heart in the upward movement of the blood. Drugs such as digitalis are used to slow down and strengthen the heart beat but such patients are usually treated with bed rest and elevation of the legs, elastic wraps and diuretics to reduce fluids. This is preventable by moderate exercise but once condition is established it is an up-down course with the circulatory system slowly becoming dysfunctional.