Medical Centric

MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Men's Health, Women's Health / By

DEFINITION

Myocardial infarction is the medical term for heart attack.

  • The term myocardial infarction place emphasis on the myocardium (the heart muscle) and the significant changes that occur to it.
  • A heart attack occurs when there is a disturbance of blood flow to a part of the heart.
  • This disturbance may be from a decrease or abrupt cut off of blood flow, leading to a severe damage to the myocardium (heart muscle).
  • Heart disease is the most leading cause of death in men and in women.
  • Statistics have shown that approximately 1.5 million cases of myocardial infarction occur annually in the United States.
  • Heart failure and fibrillation (the rapid contraction of the myocardium fibers) are the most common complication of a heart attack.
  • A heart attack can occur at any time.
  • However, due to the higher level of adrenaline release from the adrenal gland in the morning hours, most attacks are prevalent during this period mostly between 4.00 A.M and 10. 00 AM

CAUSES

  • The heart like any muscle requires its own continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients.
  • Gradual deposit or build up of plaque (a substance made up of cholesterol, fats, and cellular waste product) in the arterial wall causes hardening and thinning of the inner conduit of the artery.
  • A rupture to the surface of the plaque can cause platelets to clump at the site in a bid to repair the artery.
  • This clump causes a blood clot to form, the blot cot blocks the blood circulation in the artery, leading to heart attack.
  • This is the most common cause of heart attack.
  • New research shows that inflammation plays a role in the development of a heart attack.
  • A heart attack can also be caused by a temporal constriction of the artery, though in rare cases.
  • Other causes of a heart attack: smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, insulin resistance.
  • A family history of heart disease

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

  • Shortness of breath
  • Painful sensation of the chest
  • Sweating
  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat
  • A heavy, full, tight, aching pain or discomfort in the center of the chest that goes away and comes back.
  • Extreme weakness or dizziness
  • Heartburn and/or indigestion
  • A headache, toothache, jaw pain
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Unusual Fatigue
  • Pain that spreads to the arm or another upper part of the body.
  • A heart attack may come with no symptom. Approximately one-quarter of heart attacks are silent and common among people with diabetes mellitus.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

  • The essential factor in diagnosing and treating a heart attack is early intervention.
  • An electrocardiogram may be carried out to check the electrical activity of the heart. An anomaly in the electrical activity of the heart is mostly attributed to a heart attack and can identify the areas that are short of oxygen and/or dead muscles.
  • A blood test may also be carried out to check the elevation of cardiac enzymes that are released into the blood by dying heart muscles.
  • Chest X-ray helps the doctor to check the size of the heart and the blood vessels and to check the accumulation of fluids in the lung.
TREATMENT
  • If a heart attack is diagnosed, therapy is initiated. If unclear, the patient is placed under monitoring until further testings are available.
  • Medications such as aspirin, pain relievers, nitroglycerin, ACE inhibitor, thrombolytics may be administered.
  • Surgical procedures such as:
  • Cardiac Catheterization to locate the blockages.
  • Coronary angioplasty used to open blocked arteries. This is done by placing and inflating a tiny balloon at the location of the clogged artery to help widen it.