Myocardial infarction is not a sentence

Myocardial infarction is the last degree of ischemic heart disease, which is characterized by necrosis of a part of the cardiac muscle - the myocardium. The cause of myocardial infarction is a sharp cessation of blood circulation in the coronary vessels: if it stops completely, then within a few minutes the muscle tissue undergoes irreversible destruction. The number of dead cells will depend on the diameter of the vessel, in which the movement of blood ceased.

Why does the blood flow stop?

Myocardial infarction is a consequence of coronary atherosclerosis, or rather, of its complications such as embolism and thrombosis. The cause can serve as a spasmodic phenomenon in the arterial vessels of the heart. It happens that a heart attack causes an embolism that has arisen because of a foreign body or a piece of tissue. Often the cause is fatty embolism, which occurs due to multiple fractures of bones. In surgical interventions on the heart, the cause of a heart attack may be a transverse dissection of the coronary vessel or its dressing.
Distinguish primary (it's spontaneous) and secondary heart attack. Spontaneous happens when the movement of blood stops, and in secondary necrosis develops due to increased work of the heart, resulting in increased need for oxygen. With an increase in the work of the heart muscle, hormones are released that activate the entire body. This is what causes the spasm of blood vessels, including coronary vessels .

There are typical and atypical forms of myocardial infarction. The latter, as a rule, occur in elderly people with severe cardiosclerosis, often against a background of a second attack. In addition, several types of infarction are distinguished depending on the location of the occluded vessel (eg, posterior or lower myocardial infarction).

Symptoms

The way the heart attack manifests itself depends on the area and depth of necrosis, as well as on the affected area. Myocardial infarction is, first of all, a pain in the sternum, which is often described as pressing, constricting or burning. It can last for 15-20 minutes. Sometimes the pain is located behind the breastbone and does not give in any other parts of the body, but usually it can appear in the left arm, the left side of the neck, under the left scapula and in the lower jaw.
There is shortness of breath, which is the result of a decrease in the ability of the heart to contract. The more pronounced it is, the greater the area affected by necrosis. Cough may occur - as a result of slowing blood circulation in the lungs.
In addition, there are vegetative reactions - pallor, sweating.
It is important to understand that the symptomatology of different people may differ, therefore, for any discomfort of this kind, it is necessary to show proper attention to what is happening.

Treatment

Myocardial infarction is a very serious disorder, but this does not mean that it is necessarily deadly. Treatment of a heart attack implies a comprehensive therapy aimed at eliminating pain syndrome, restoring the patency of the coronary vessels and preventing relapses. Sometimes surgical intervention is required, which can be either emergency or planned. Emergency is needed to restore blood flow, planned - to reduce the affected area.