Heart Attack : Myocardial Infarction

Atherosclerosis is the process in which substances known as plaques, which are made up of cholesterol and platelets, adhere to tears in the walls of arteries. Over time these plaques build up to the point where they occlude blood flow in the arteries. When this happens in the coronary arteries, either directly, as the result of buildup in the arteries themselves, indirectly in the form a clot from another part of the body breaking loose and becoming lodged in the coronary arteries, the usual result is a heart attack.3

Another word used to describe a heart attack is myocardial infarction, cardiac infarction and coronary thrombosis. A heart attack is the death of a part of the heart caused by the loss of blood supply. The blood supply is usually gone due to a coronary artery being blocked by a blood clot. When a part of a heart artery breaks a blood clot forms around the piece. This blood clot can block the blood flow through the heart muscle. When the heart muscle needs oxygen it is called ischemia. When damage of a part of the heart muscle happens it’s called a heart attack. During a heart attack damage occurs depending on the size of the area blocked by the blood clot as well as the time between the actual heart attack and the treatment. Even though the heart may be hurt, the rest of the organs work with no problems. However, it will not pump as much blood as it used to in order to supply the same amount of blood to all of the parts of the body.

This blood clot can obstruct the blood flow via the heart muscular tissue. When the heart muscle is starved for oxygen and nutrients, it is called ischemia. When harm or fatality of part of the heart muscle takes place as a result of ischemia, it is called a cardiac arrest or coronary infarction (MI). Concerning every 34 secs, somebody in the United States has a heart attack (cardiovascular disease).

As blood pressure rises and “the blood moves with enough force, [it] increases the chances of tearing that plaque loose” and rupturing it (Sapolsky, 2004, p. 45). When a rupture occurs, the material that has become loose, a blood clot known as a thrombus, can pose as much more of a threat to a person’s life than the initial build up of plaque. If the thrombus blocks a coronary vessel then the heart muscle is unable to receive blood that is full of needed oxygen and other essential nutrients, this is known as cardiac ischemia (Steffen, Lecture 11). Ischemia can cause angina and discomfort. Another possible result of a blocked coronary artery is a heart attack, which can lead to death, and if a blood vessel in the brain is clogged then a stoke will occur.

Meet Tank 17, a 93-year-old male whose cause of death was an acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. But what exactly is a myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure? To the non-medical community, an acute myocardial infarction is better known as a heart attack, which is caused by blocked vessels in the heart. According to Dr. Gilberto Cabrera, MD and Jennifer Kornusky, RN, MS, an acute myocardial infarction is due to cardiac ischemia (decreased oxygen and blood flow) which occurs when the arteries are narrowed or weakened.1 Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart’s pumping power is weaker than normal. During heart failure, the heart cannot pump enough blood throughout the whole body, causing the body to become “congested” via fluid build up in the “arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs, or other organs.”3 Congestive heart failure can occur in either the left or right atria. In order to distinguish between diseases with similar symptoms, healthcare professionals have developed differential diagnoses. A differential diagnosis is the process differentiating between many different possibilities and winnowing them down to one probable illness or disease based on clinical findings. A patient may present with multiple symptoms for an illness that is not yet known, or multiple causes for a symptom that is not yet known. The defining differential diagnosis for acute myocardial infarction is acute chest pain. While assessing the patient, a focused

     Heart attack occurs when a blood clot suddenly and completely blocks a diseased coronary artery, resulting in the death of the heart muscle cells supplied by that artery. Coronary and Coronary Thrombosis 2 are terms that can refer to a heart attack. Another term, Acute Myocardial Infarction 2, means death of heart muscle due to an inadequate blood supply.

Atherosclerosis is the narrowing and hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis that occurs in coronary arteries is called coronary heart disease. Deep vein thrombosis can be fatal. The blood clot mixed with the fat on the blood vessels. As a result of heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, usually occurs when a blood clot forms inside a coronary artery at the site of an atherosclerotic plaque. The blood clot severely limits or completely cuts off blood flow to part of the heart. In a small percentage of cases, blood flow is cut off when the muscles in the artery wall contract suddenly, constricting the artery. This constriction, called vasospasm, can occur in an artery that is only slightly narrowed by atherosclerosis or even in a healthy artery. Regardless of the cause of a heart attack, the oxygen deprivation is so severe and prolonged that heart muscle cells begin to die for lack of oxygen. About 1.1 million people in the United States have a heart attack every year;

A myocardial infarction typically occurs when a blood clot forms and blocks the blood flow to the heart. The inability of the blood to reach the heart leads to tissue death:The tissues die because they have been deprived of oxygen.

Myocardial Infarction is more commonly known as a heart attack. When Myocardial Infarction occurs, a coronary artery is clogged, which takes blood supply from the heart, and causes the death of heart muscle. Myocardial Infarction can be caused by many things, including an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, excessive smoking or drinking, or the use of recreational drugs. It can also be caused by existing heart diseases, when they are not treated properly. The symptoms include, shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, anxiety, and extreme chest pain. There are multiple tests that can be done to figure out if a patient has experienced Myocardial Infarction, such as a chest x-ray, an electrocardiogram (a test of the heart's activity), or an echocardiogram.

Myocardial Infarction (MI); heart attack affected Circulatory system, the sudden passing of heart muscle due to limited stream of oxygenated blood to the heart muscle; characterized by strongly chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, or some of the time none of these symptoms. Myocardial areas of dead tissue, superior known as heart attack happen when there are interferences within the blood supplies to the heart and pumps blood from the heart to other vital organs. The heart is an exceedingly specialized muscle whose work is to pump life-sustaining blood to all parts of the body. Its activity includes creating weight to impel blood through arriving and leaving channels veins and arteries that must keep up that weight

“Myocardial infarction is defined as irreversible necrosis of myocardial tissue as a result of inadequate blood flow for a critical period of time.” (Duksta &Younker, 2012). A MI occurs when cardiac tissue is suddenly deprived of oxygen. “Most MIs are the result of atherosclerosis of a coronary artery, rupture of the plaque, subsequent thrombosis, and occlusion of blood flow” (Ignatavicius & Workman, p. 829, 2013). When there is a blood flow reduction in the heart of 80% to 90%, ischemia occurs, which can be followed by necrosis of cardiac tissue if blood flow is not reestablished.

A heart attack occurs when one of the heart's coronary arteries is blocked suddenly or has extremely slow blood flow

coronary arteries which reduces blood flow to the heart. This can ultimately lead to a

As mentioned previously, one of the diseases that is related to Ischemic heart diseases is Coronary Artery Disease, which is known to be one of the deadliest and leading cause of heart attacks. To start, Coronary Artery disease is mentioned as the “disease that leads to […]