Heart Attack [1]
Key points
- A heart attack (called a myocardial infarction) is the death of a portion of heart muscle in an area where there is sudden loss of blood supply.
- A Heart Attack (called a myocardial infarction) is the death of a portion of heart muscle in an area where there is sudden loss of blood supply.
- A heart attack itself may last several minutes when the symptoms are present.
- A heart attack is usually caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot forming.
What is a Heart Attack?
A heart attack (called a myocardial infarction) is the death of a portion of heart muscle in an area where there is sudden loss of blood supply.
What is a Heart Attack?
A Heart Attack (called a myocardial infarction) is the death of a portion of heart muscle in an area where there is sudden loss of blood supply.
- Orderly movement (transmission) of electrical signals in the heart is important for the regular beating (pumping) of the heart.
- Death of the heart muscle often causes Chest pain and may cause electrical instability of the heart muscle tissue, resulting in a rapid and disorganised heartbeat (ventricular fibrillation).
- A heart undergoing ventricular fibrillation simply quivers, and cannot pump or deliver oxygenated blood to the brain.
- Permanent brain damage and death can occur unless oxygenated blood flow is quickly resumed.
How do you get a Heart Attack? A heart attack is usually caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot forming. This occurs when there is advanced coronary artery disease in which the blood vessel, containing fatty deposits, is damaged. This encourages a blood clot to form on the damaged surface inside the artery.
- A coronary artery is an artery that supplies blood (along with essential nutrients) to the heart muscle.
- Chest pain or pressure is a common symptom of heart attack, but can also be a symptom of many other conditions.
- Cardiac chest pain is often vague, or dull, and may be described as a pressure or constricting band-like sensation, squeezing, heaviness, or other discomfort.
How serious is a Heart Attack? A heart attack is potentially very serious. It can lead to a chronic disabling condition because it can cause heart failure, or it can lead to full recovery. In some, it is rapidly fatal mainly because if the heart's rhythm is disturbed, permanent brain damage and death can occur unless blood flow is quickly resumed.
How long does a Heart Attack last?
A heart attack itself may last several minutes when the symptoms are present. However, because of the damage it causes and the way the heart tries to cope with it, in those people who survive a heart attack, the consequences last a lot longer. This may mean there is a risk of more abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) for several hours or days following. For some patients there can be further risk several months later because they may go on to develop heart failure or other problems. This is why special care and medicines are needed for a long time, to reduce the chances of this happening.
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
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