Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction is death of heart muscle tissue caused by prolonged interruption of its blood supply, usually when a coronary artery becomes blocked.

Coronary artery disease: Narrowing or blockage of the heart’s arteries, usually caused by atherosclerotic plaque. Atherosclerotic coronary disease is the most common underlying cause of infarction.
Electrocardiography: Recording and interpretation of the heart’s electrical activity using skin electrodes. Characteristic electrical changes help identify an acute infarction and guide urgent care.
Unstable angina: New, worsening, or resting chest pain caused by myocardial ischemia without detectable heart muscle cell death. It can signal acute coronary disease but lacks the tissue death defining infarction.
Heart failure: A syndrome in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs or does so only at elevated pressures. Loss of functioning muscle can weaken the heart enough to cause heart failure.
Coronary circulation: The network of vessels that supplies blood to the heart muscle and returns it to the circulation. Its interruption deprives cardiac muscle of oxygen and nutrients.
Atherosclerosis: A disease in which fatty plaques build up inside arteries and can restrict blood flow. Plaque rupture can trigger the clot that blocks a coronary artery.
Percutaneous coronary intervention: A catheter-based procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, often using a stent. It is a common method for rapidly restoring flow in a blocked artery.
Stable angina: Predictable chest discomfort caused by temporary myocardial ischemia, typically during exertion. Its transient ischemia contrasts with the prolonged injury that causes infarction.
Ventricular arrhythmia: An abnormal heart rhythm that originates in the ventricles. Electrical instability during or after infarction can trigger dangerous ventricular rhythms.
Myocardium: The muscular middle layer of the heart wall that contracts to pump blood. This is the tissue that dies in a myocardial infarction.

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