A heart attack (Myocardial Infarction (MI) or Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI)) is the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart which causes heart cells to die. It generally occurs when a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary artery supplying blood to the heart muscle. The blood clot that causes the heart attack usually forms at the site of rupture of a hardened artery, cholesterol plaque on the inner wall of a coronary artery. The most common symptom of heart attack is chest pain.The risk factors for heart attack include high cholesterol levels, elevated blood pressure, tobacco use, diabetes, male gender, and a family history of heart attacks at an early age.
Although chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack, there are a variety of symptoms including:
A heart attack happens due to the sudden blockage of the coronary artery carrying oxygen-rich blood to a section of heart. Most heart attacks occur as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD). The most common causes of heart attack include:
The treatment for a heart attack should start as early as possible in order to ensure minimum damage to heart and brain. In most of the cases, medical professionals begin diagnosis and treatment even before the patient gets to the hospital. Treatment procedures for heart attack include:
Angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure which aims at the opening of blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. This procedure is also called percutaneous (per-ku-TA-ne-us) coronary intervention, or PCI.