Heart Attack Info
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), commonly known as a
heart attack, is a serious, sudden heart condition usually
characterized by varying degrees of chest pain or discomfort,
weakness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and arrhythmias, sometimes
causing loss of consciousness. It occurs when a part of the heart
muscle is injured, and this part may die because of sudden total
interruption of blood flow to the area. It is often a
life-threatening medical emergency which demands both immediate
attention and activation of the emergency medical services.
Diagnosis is by the combination of medical history, ECG findings
and blood tests for cardiac enzymes. The most important treatment
in myocardial infarction is restoring the blood flow to the heart,
by thrombolysis (enzymatically dissolving the clot in the artery)
and/or angioplasty (using a balloon to push the artery open).
Close monitoring on a coronary care unit is mandatory to observe
for various complications. There is emphasis on secondary
prevention, the elemination of risk factors that could lead to
further heart attacks.
The medical term myocardial infarction derives from myocardium
(the heart muscle) and infarction (tissue death), in this case
caused by an obstruction of blood flow. The phrase "heart attack"
is occasionally used to refer to heart problems other than a
myocardial infarction, such as unstable angina pectoris.
Heart
Attack Symptoms
Acute myocardial
infarction is usually characterized by varying degrees of chest
pain or discomfort, weakness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and
arrhythmias, sometimes causing loss of consciousness. Chest pain
is the most common symptom of acute myocardial infarction and it
is often described as tightness, pressure, or squeezing. Pain may
radiate to the jaw, neck, arms, back, and epigastrium, most often
to the left arm or neck. Chest pain is more likely caused by
myocardial infarction when it lasts for more than 30 minutes. The
patient may complain of shortness of breath (dyspnoea) especially
if the decrease in myocardial contractility due to the infarct is
sufficient to cause left ventricular failure with pulmonary
congestion or even pulmonary oedema.
Approximately one quarter of all myocardial infarction are silent,
without chest pain or other symptoms. This happens more often in
elderly patients and patients with diabetes mellitus. They may
complain though of atypical symptoms like fatigue, syncope, or
weakness. Approximately half of all MI patients have experienced
warning symptoms like angina pectoris prior to the infarct.
Heart Attack
Diagnosis
Myocardial infarctions
vary greatly in severity. Classical cases of myocardial infarction
are often identified by ambulance staff, emergency room doctors
and cardiac specialist nurse practitioners quickly. Yet many
myocardial infarctions, tending to be smaller, are not recognized
by victims, never receive medical attention and result in either
sudden death or progressive heart weakness. For a more complete
diagnosis, the medical history, combined with electrocardiogram
results and blood tests for heart muscle cell damage, are vital.
Myocardial perfusion tests (see stress tests) and echocardiograms
can also be helpful.
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