Myocardial infarctions are caused by vascular endothelial disruption most often associated with plaque build-up or atherosclerosis that develops over several years and causes thrombus formation which in turn
The Merck Manuals. (2008). The Merck Manuals. Retrieved from The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/ag/sec07/ch107/ch107b.html
What is a Myocardial Infarction? Myocardial Infarction, also known as a heart attack, occurs when there is a blockage in one of the coronary arteries. The heart is a muscle that needs oxygenated blood and nutrients to survive. When a blockage occurs in the arteries, oxygen and nutrients are cut off from the heart for an extensive time. The blocked portion of tissue in heart dies. Blockages can occur due to several factors. Coronary artery disease is the most prevalent cause. Coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis is due to plaque buildup and narrowing in the artery walls. These plaques are made from cholesterol and waste products. This buildup on artery walls can restrict blood flow; a process that can take
There are a considerable amount of risk factors that heighten one’s chance of myocardial infarction. The factors
An acute myocardial infraction is commonly known as a heart attack. A heart attack is a serious medical emergency that can cause death if not taken serious! “Every year, there are more than 3 million cases in America.” Says Mayo Clinic. Although, a heart attack can happen at any age the majority of the victims are 40 and up. An attack occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is damaged or interrupted. Heart attacks are usually caused by obesity, stress, high blood pressure, smoking and many other diseases or poor decision.
Once binding has occurred, a cascade of signalling reactions will initiate, with Rho guanosine-5'-triphosphate (Rho GTPases) such as rho-asso...
If an artery becomes so clogged that blood cannot flow through it, the result is chest pain which could progress to a heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI). "Myocardial" is a medical term that means "having to do with the heart" or "heart muscle". "Infarct" is a medical term for tissue death. During a myocardial infarction, the portion of the heart that is supposed to get blood from the diseased artery dies. However, cardiologists are trained to recognize symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue of coronary artery disease in patients before the symptoms becomes severe. A cardiologist is often able to treat coronary disease before it causes an MI. – http://myweb.com/contents/dmk_article396168
Coronary heart disease is defined by the hardening of the epicardial coronary arteries. The buildup of plaque in the arteries slowly narrows the coronary artery lumen. In order to better understand the physiology of the disease, it is important to first know the basic anatomy of the human heart. The aorta, located in the superior region of the heart, branches off into two main coronary blood vessels, otherwise known as arteries. The arteries are located on the left and right side of the heart and span its surface. They subsequently branch off into smaller arteries which supply oxygen-rich blood to the entire heart (Texas Heart Institute, 2013). Therefore, the narrowing of these arteries due to plaque buildup significantly impairs blood flow throughout the heart.
A heart attack can happen at any time to anyone. Oftentimes the underlying problems leading up to a heart attack go unnoticed and undiagnosed for years before the actual event occurs. Some factors leading up to an attack can be prevented while others cannot. Many people are surprised when they have an attack and do not realize how their lifestyle choices affected their probability of having one. This summary discusses what a heart attack is, its signs and symptoms, prevention strategies, and how to provide first aid care.
Roger, Go, Lloyd-Jones, et al. states “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women of all racial and ethnic groups.” (As cited in Hinkle & Cheever 2014, p. 729). There are different types cardiovascular diseases and they have a lot in common in terms of characteristics. This paper will focus on discussing acute coronary syndrome and myocardial infarction. To distinguish the two from each other, it is important to know the similarities and differences in etiology, clinical manifestations, medical management, collaborative care and nursing management for these two diseases.
Cardiovascular disease has become an increasingly significant issue in many countries as it is the leading cause of death for the whole human population. According to World Health Organization, ischemic heart disease had caused about 7 million people to lose their life in 2011. One of the most common cardiovascular illnesses is myocardial infarction. It is defined as the death of cardiac myocytes due to complete blockage of a coronary artery. t-PA is a thrombolytic drug that used to treat myocardial infarction by dissolving the thrombus that causes the occlusion.
Atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease characterized by the deposition of materials such as lipids, cholesterol, and proteins such as fibrins in the arteries, as seen in Figure 1 below. This leads to increased resistance to blood flow and causes the stress on the heart to increase.
Succinctly speaking, a myocardial infarction is not a disease but rather an event occurring due to the progression of coronary heart disease. 1(p.125) With coronary heart disease, the flow of blood which supplies the heart with oxygen is blocked, reducing the amount of oxygen received by the cardiac muscles and resulting in damage or death of cardiac muscle....
In order to know what myocardial infarction is, it is important to know when to diagnose the condition and to do it as soon as possible. It is vital to be able to know the sign and symptoms for a myocardial infarction and how to treat them to prevent any further damage to the myocardium. Since damage can occur to the myocardium, heart muscle, one of the goals is to save as much of the heart muscle as possible through procedures to be able to open up the blood vessels to make sure blood is traveling to the heart and heart muscles like a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
A heart attack (myocardial infarction) is the death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. Usually, the loss of blood supply is caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot. A coronary artery is an artery that supplies blood to the heart muscle. Death of the heart muscle causes chest pain and electrical instability of the heart muscle tissue. Electrical instability of the heart causes ventricular fibrillation (chaotic electrical disturbance). Orderly transmission of electrical signals in the heart is important for the regular beating (pumping) of the heart. A heart undergoing ventricular fibrillation quivers, and can not pump or deliver oxygenated blood to the brain. Permanent brain damage and death can occur unless oxygenated blood flow is restored within five minutes.