• Myocardial Infarction
• Symptoms
• How to diagnose AMI
• Heart Attack types
• Causes
• AMI Treatment

Myocardial Infarction:

Myo means muscle, cardial associates to heart and infarction means the death of tissue lack of blood flow. Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) is also called a heart attack in lay terms. AMI is frequently caused by a stoppage or decrease of blood flow to the part of the heart, leading to death of heart muscles. This is the result of a blood clot in the epicardial artery that supplies that territory of the heart muscle. This situation treated as type 1 Myocardial Infarction.

A blood clot is not always the cause of MI, in all living tissues, the blood supply must equal the oxygen demand of the muscle. Any imbalance between demand and supply of the blood leads to rapid heart rate means more demand or a drop in blood pressure may cause myocardial damage, this is treated as type 2 Myocardial Infarction.

Symptoms:

• Chest pain or discomfort in the center of the  chest
• Heaviness, tightness, pressure, aching, burning, fullness or squeezing feeling
• Trouble breathing
• Pain  in upper body including the arms, left shoulder, back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
• Abnormal heart beats
• Vomiting or Nausea
• Headedness, dizziness

Symptoms and their severity vary from person to person, some may not have any symptoms as well. The degree of severity indicates a greater chance of having a heart attack. Chest pain is the commonly reported symptom. 

Chest pain is a common symptom that makes patients to medical attention. Pain is severe, diffuse, retrosternal and spreads to arms or from jaws to the umbilicus. Usual pain killers will not help you to get relieved from the pain. 

Commonly patients mistake retrosternal burning as an acidic issue and waste valuable time with antacids. The pain needs to be distinguished from other causes of acute severe chest pain that can bring patients to emergency medical help.

How to diagnose AMI

When you suspect a heart attack should admit the hospital immediately, usually to an acute cardiac care unit (ACCU).

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is an important test to confirm the diagnosis of a heart attack. Once hospitalized an ECG should be done without late.

It helps to measure the electrical activity of your heart. There will be a change in electric impulses when heartbeats, an ECG can record these electric signal changes on paper, a doctor can analyze these records to understand heart functioning. 

An ECG takes a short period to diagnose your heart condition without pain. A set of flat electrodes will be attached to your arms, legs and chest to send electric signals to the ECG machine. It is an important diagnostic test to confirm your heart attack and type of heart attack for effective treatment.

Blood tests help to find certain enzymes or proteins levels during a heart attack.

Another method called Echocardiogram uses soundwaves to check the change in the structure and function of the heart.

Coronary angiography is a procedure that uses contrast dye and x-ray pictures to identify blockages in the coronary arteries.

Heart Attack types

Classification of heart attacks based on ECG measurement known as the ST segment. That indicates the area damage inflicted on the heart.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) will have significant blockage in the coronary arteries.

ACS will be three types 3 main types

• STEMI – ST segment elevation myocardial infarction is a most serious type of heart attack due to total blockage of blood supply in the coronary arteries.
• NSTEM – non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction is less serious compare to STEMI will be caused with partial blood supply to the heart.
• unstable angina

Causes

Coronary arteries are the channel to supply blood to your heart, blood blockage or clot in one of your coronary arteries can cause a heart attack. Atherosclerosis is a disease in the Coronary artery is a common cause of heart attack due to fat deposits inside an artery called plaque which develops blood clots or blockage.

All cholesterols are not bad, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is treated as bad cholesterol sticks inside the walls of the coronary arteries develops plaque. Plaque is a hard substance that blocks blood in the arteries.

Food items like butter, cheese, dairy products, meat, including beef will have a good amount of saturated fats, which helps to build plaque in the arteries.

Are you eating processed food? then it is the source of another kind of fat called hydrogenated fat or trans fat that contributes to blood blockage in the arteries.

Your family history may also be one of the causes of the heart attack. A family with a heart disease in the past is more likely to have a heart attack themselves.

AMI Treatment

AMI treatment should initiate immediately to stop further damage to heart muscles once experience symptoms.

Medication Medication helps to break up or prevent blood clots, immediate medication avoids critical conditions. The Medication as follows-

• Aspirin
• Heparin (blood thinner)
• Thrombolytic Therapy (Clot busting drug)

Situation may arise to mix of above medicines while treatment.

Coronary Angioplasty and Stent – in some cases, these procedures are used to clear blocked or narrowed arteries. 

Bypass Surgery situation demands bypass surgery performed to restore blood flow to heart muscles.

Risk factors & Prevention

Your lifestyle, food habits and other factors may contribute to developing unwanted fat in the body. Fatty deposits affect the blood flow in the arteries results in heart problems. Keep eye on few risk factors which directly or indirectly linked with cardiac issues.

• Age & Gender After a certain age more likely to experience a heart attack, men with age 45 or older and women with age 55 or older compared to young.
• Smoking Tobacco usage or smoking is prone to heart diseases that includes passive smokers too in long run.
• Overweight or Obesity Your overweight or obesity can invite other health issues like diabetes, blood cholesterol, high blood pressure. Maintain Body Mass Index to reduce heart risks.
• Diabetes When your body is not producing enough insulin or is unable to utilize insulin properly in the energy generation in the body, that rises sugar levels in the blood. High sugar levels in the blood harm your heart functioning.
• Stress how your body responds to stress is one of the factors that influence your heart function. The practice of yoga or regular body exercise keep you away from stress or you can able to manage stress.
• High blood cholesterol Bad cholesterol like low-density lipoprotein deposits or high levels of triglycerides in your arteries is directly linked to your food habits.
• High blood pressure In the long term, high blood pressure can damage arteries keep your heart at risk. High blood pressure with other factors like obesity, diabetes increases your heart risk further.
• Sedentary lifestyle No physical activity and sticky table jobs lead to obesity or overweight that is indirectly linked to blood cholesterol.
• Usage of illicit drug Using drugs like cocaine or amphetamines can damage coronary arteries that can cause a heart attack also impacts your nerve system.

There are other measures to be taken to prevent heart attacks, include rich grains or siridhanya, vegetables, fruits and lean protein in your diet. Regular exercise and other physical activities improve your body metabolism. Take proper medicine to prevent subsequent heart attacks in the future.