What is Myocardial Infarction?
Myocardial infarction (MI) is another name for a heart attack. The coronary arteries supply the heart muscle (myocardium) with blood. When one of these arteries become blocked and the blood supply is cut off from the heart muscle, an MI can occur. Heart attack means that some of the cells in your heart tissue have died because their supply of oxygen (provided by the blood from the coronary arteries) is cut off. Cell death does not occur immediately once the artery is blocked. It takes several minutes to start the injury process and this continues for several hours unless the artery is opened up and blood flow is restored. What causes the blockage in a coronary artery? The reason for the blockage is usually a buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances) in the walls of the coronary arteries. The plaque buildup narrows the walls of the artery and can cause blood clots to occur. Plaque buildup is caused by a disease known as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). An atheroscl
Related Questions
- Which Hospitals Have Significantly Better or Worse Than Expected Mortality Rates for Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients?
- Why does a patient become sweaty, pallid and tachycardic during an acute myocardial infarction?
- Does influenza vaccination influence recurrence of myocardial infarction or stroke?
