Myocardial Infarction: A Heart Attack

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A myocardial infarction (MI) also know as a heart attack is when a there is lack of blood flow to the heart caused by an obstruction to the coronary artery. Usually caused by coronary artery disease where a process called atherosclerosis happens. This is where waxy substance called plaques builds up in the artery walls. Not all symptoms are alike they can range from chest pain to upper body pains like in the upper-extremities. They are three different ways to diagnose an individual with a heart attack an EKG, blood test, and angiography. After the MI is diagnosed they can treat it with clot busting medicine, coronary artery bypass or percutaneous artery intervention. Once the patient is treated they will still have trouble doing things the way did before. That’s where occupational therapy comes in play to help in cardiac rehabilitation. They work very carefully by using special tools to evaluate the patient’s cardiac rhythm and maintain balance between rest and activity to help while scar tissue builds. They will do different techniques like graded exercise to help make the heart muscle strong. They also will work with the patient on energy conservation, precautions, and educating them and their family on other important information that will help with recovery, and prevent another MI. Occupational therapy is very important role when it comes to getting an individual back to their everyday life as much as possible.

A myocardial infarction (MI) also known as a heart attack is very serious. The aftermath of a MI and what it does to the body can affect an individual’s everyday life in many ways. In this paper we are going to go in more depth on what actually happens with a myocardial infarction, what it affects and how occupation...

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... who suffers from a myocardial infarction can and will recover to functioning independently and increase their quality of life as best as possible. (Pedretti, L. W, 1996).

Works Cited

Atchison, B., & Dirette, D. (2012). Condition in Occupational Therapy : Effect on Occupational Performance. baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Early, M. B. (2012). Physical dysfunction practice skills for the occupational therapy assistant. S.l.: Elsevier Mosby.

Pedretti, L. W. (1996). Occupational therapy: practice skills for physical dysfunction (4th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby.

Trombly, C., & Radomski, M. (2001). Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction (5th edition ed.). Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

What Is a Heart Attack?. (n.d.). - NHLBI, NIH. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/

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