Myocardial Infarction Essay

Heart attack is one of the most common heart diseases that you need to be concern about. It will strike at the moment you least expect it. though some people have silent myocardial infarction (heart attack without any symptoms), there are still cases where symptoms appear. Once symptoms began to appear, seek help immediately and do not delay. Remember, immediate treatment for a heart attack is very important to reduce the damage to your heart.

The most common physiological process leading to a myocardial infarction is the occlusion of coronary arteries by a process known as atherosclerosis. In fact, atherosclerosis is present in more than 90% of persons with coronary heart disease.1

The heart is one of the most important organs in the body. The heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the human body supplying the tissue with oxygen and nutrients and removing carbon dioxide and waste. If the heart does not supply blood and oxygen to the organs and tissues, they will die.

Cardiogenic shock, according to Werden et al. (2012), is the most common cause of death from an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and has a chance of mortality from thirty percent to eighty percent. Infarction-related cardiogenic shock (ICS) complicates approximately five to ten percent of acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) and remains the leading cause of death in patients hospitalized from an AMI (Kolte et al., 2014). Kolte et al. (2014) also states that the incidence of cardiogenic shock is higher in patients over the age of seventy-five, and has higher prevalence in women, Caucasians, Asians, and Pacific islanders. This paper will discuss the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, tools used to diagnose, and therapeutic management of cardiogenic shock.

The heart is basically a pump that has to circulate the blood around the body delivering oxygenated blood to our organs and then returning deoxygenated blood to our lungs. There are four chambers in the heart, two atria and two ventricles. There are four main valves, mitral, aortic, tricuspid and pulmonary7b.

Nevertheless, there is an understandable and noticeable link between circulatory related diseases and lifestyle diseases, such as Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary heart disease can occur when fatty acids, such as cholesterol in an inadequate diet, build up in the walls of the coronary artery. These fatty deposits collect minerals and harden to become a plaque. Eventually, this plaque grows and can swells up, forming an aneurism. In some cases, this aneurism may burst leading to instant death. As it continues to grow and swell up, it finally blocks the artery completely and forms blood clots. This is known as coronary thrombosis. A myocardial infarction, or in other words as heart attack, occurs when no oxygen is able to reach the coronary artery and thus it is unable to fulfil its role in providing the heart muscle with a sufficient supply of blood. Heart attacks are very common in the society nowadays, especially occurring in smokers or obesity related diseases (Millar, June 2014)

Clearly differentiate the pathophysiology of angina and myocardial infarction, including signs and symptoms. (5 marks)

In recent times, women have been increasingly more prone to heart related diseases. Even with campaigns that are run across internationally, there is a lack of realization by many people that the leading causes of deaths in women today are heart diseases. Often women are misdiagnosed by the healthcare providers and their symptoms are not recognized when they are having an acute cardiac arrest. According to statistics, every 30 seconds in the United States of America, a woman suffers from a heart attack (Health, 2013). Out of many types of heart diseases, the myocardial infarction is one of the leading causes of death in women.

Early recognition of signs and symptoms and taking the right steps to identify, distinguish, and manage subtypes (STEMI and NSTEMI/UA) will improve Mr James outcomes (Bradley E.H., 2006)Recognizing the signs and symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath suggestive of an MI and obtaining an ECG as soon as possible (goal of less than 10 minutes following presentation of a patient) should be the standard of practice to manage this patient It has been demonstrated that reperfusion of the infarct-related artery in the very first hour (golden hour) of MI reduces mortality rates (Ayrik et al. 2006, Van de Werf et al. 2008). fact, every 30 minutes of delay time, the 1-year mortality risk increases by (DeLuca et al. 2004).According to triage and first assessment guidelines (Wrightet. al. 2011) Patients who complain of chest pain , pressure , tightness or heaviness require immediate assessment by the triage nurse and should be referred for further evaluation.

There are many races, hurdles, and obstacles to contend with throughout the course of life such as: life itself, family and health. In the realm of Certified Nursing, I have become more intent on knowing more about the lifestyles of the people, and the good and bad results of daily tasks that ensure their happiness. Safety, and the many diseases/disorders that have been encountered by others, can only be counter-acted by better knowledge, resources, and means of assurance in providing ways of increasing the (ADLs). While reading, I came across the disorder of Myocardial Infarctions, and found the information to be remarkably interesting. First of all, I learned that infarctions are commonly known for being obstructions of the blood supply to the organs and tissues; whether by the thrombus or embolous. This obstruction causes tissues to die. ” (Medicine Net, 2015).There’s different kinds of infarctions, such as: Myocardial, Acute, Cerebellar, and Right Ventricular. Therefore, myocardial infarctions are “irreversible necrosis of heart muscle, which are secondary to prolonged ischemia” (emedicine, 2015). Therefore, myocardial infarctions are “irreversible necrosis of heart muscle, which are secondary to prolonged ischemia” (emedicine, 2015).

Your heart is not only a pump, but it is a muscular organ divided into the right and the left side of your chest( Heart Disease- Mayo Clinic) This division is known for protecting oxygen-rich blood from mixing with oxygen-poor blood( Heart Disease- Mayo Clinic).

Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as ischemic heart disease is the most prevalent form of cardiovascular disease in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014). While over 20,000 of deaths in 2011 were attributed to CHD. There were estimated 590,000 Australians 18 years old and above diagnosed with CHD in 2011-2012 (AIHW, 2014; Craft, 2014, pg. 596). Myocardial ischaemia is a common form of CHD. A sufficient coronary artery blood flow is essential to supply oxygen for normal cardiac activities. Myocardial ischaemia develops when there is an insufficient supply of blood and oxygen to support the function of myocardial cells (Craft, 2014, pg. 599). A decrease in blood supply can led to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques by narrowing or occluding the arteries. Other conditions such as hypotension, coronary spasm, dysthymias, hypoxemia and anaemia can also decrease the blood and oxygen supply to the myocardial cells (McCance & Huether, 2014, pg. 1153)

The goal of medical management is to minimized myocardial damage, preserve myocardial function, and prevent complications. These goals are achieved by reperfusing the area by emergency use of Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA) or thrombolytic medication. Minimizing myocardial damage is also accomplished by reducing myocardial oxygen demand and increasing oxygen supply with medications, oxygen administration, and bed rest.

As the population ages heart failure is expected to increase exceptionally. About twenty-two percent of men and forty-four percent of women will develop heart failure within six years of having a heart attack. “Thirty years ago patients would have died from their heart attacks!” (Couzens)

The hearts role is to pump oxygenated blood to every cell in the body by having a continuous beat. Throughout time the heart has created mystery, however current technology has solved most of the mystery, there still remains an enchantment and eagerness to learn more.