Get answers to your heart-related questions from UM Heart Center experts.
An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of heart attack.
Acute coronary syndrome; Myocardial infarction
The heart is the human body's hardest working organ. Throughout life it continuously pumps blood enriched with oxygen and vital nutrients through a network of arteries to all parts of the body's tissues. In order to perform the arduous task of pumping blood to the rest of the body, the heart muscle itself needs a plentiful supply of oxygen-rich blood, which is provided through a network of coronary arteries. These arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart's muscular walls (the myocardium ).
Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of heart attacks. Coronary artery disease is the end result of a complex process called atherosclerosis (commonly called "hardening of the arteries"). This causes blockage of arteries ( ischemia ) and prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching the heart. A full-blown heart attack occurs when blood flow to the myocardium is blocked and tissue death occurs from loss of oxygen, severely damaging the heart. The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction . [For more information see In-Depth Report #3: Coronary artery disease.]
Heart attack (or myocardial infarction) is the most serious outcome of atherosclerosis. It can occur as a result of one or two effects of atherosclerosis:
(1) If the artery becomes completely blocked and ischemia becomes so extensive that oxygen-bearing tissues around the heart die.
(2) If the plaque itself develops fissures or tears. Blood platelets adhere to the site to seal off the plaque, and a blood clot (thrombus) forms. A heart attack can then occur if the formed blood clot completely blocks the passage of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
Angina is the primary symptom of coronary artery disease and is typically experienced as chest pain. There are two kinds of angina:
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a severe and sudden heart condition that requires aggressive treatment, but has not developed into a full blown heart attack. Acute coronary syndrome includes:
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