Acute myocardial infarction is also known as a heart attack.
An infarction is the necrosis of a certain organ (or part of it) caused by the interruption of blood supply that is generated as a result of an obstruction in an artery . The term, originating from the Latin infartus , also names the increase in proportions of the affected organ.
The obstruction of the arteries that leads to a heart attack can be caused by elements of the vessel (such as atheromatous plaques ) or by external elements (a tumor that compresses the artery, a hernia , a wound ).
Acute myocardial infarction
Although a heart attack can occur in all organs of the human body, the term is usually used broadly to describe acute myocardial infarction (also known as heart attack or heart attack ). This infarction (classified as acute due to its sudden nature) is characterized by an insufficient blood flow rate in part of the heart due to an obstruction in one of the coronary arteries.
Obstruction, experts say, produces ischemia (cellular damage due to decreased blood flow and a consequent drop in oxygenation capacity) which, if not treated in time, leads to the death of cardiac tissue and subsequent necrosis. .
Chest pain is a common symptom of a heart attack.
Most common symptoms
Men over 40 years of age and women over 50 years of age are the population groups that are most affected by this type of heart attack, which has chest pain as its main symptoms, which can extend to the arms and neck. neck, and some severe respiratory distress .
However, although these make up the most common clinical picture, there are also others such as loss of consciousness, weakness or drowsiness. These last three symptoms appear more frequently in women than in men.
And all this without forgetting that it is estimated that in approximately a quarter of heart attacks the affected person does not experience any of these aforementioned symptoms. In this case, those who suffer from it are mostly the elderly and patients who suffer from diabetes .
Coronary artery disease , atherosclerosis, heart rhythm disorders and some modifiable habits (such as obesity , smoking , excessive alcohol consumption or high stress ) increase the risk of suffering a heart attack.
Diagnosis and treatment of a heart attack
In addition to all of the above, it is important to highlight the fact that those who suffer a myocardial infarction, and once they are in the corresponding hospital, it is common for them to undergo what is known as catheterization .
This is a diagnostic and therapeutic test at the same time, which aims not only to verify the damage caused by said condition but also to carry out, for example, the placement of stents to prevent a new collapse.
This intervention is carried out under local anesthesia and consists of inserting a catheter through the vascular system.
The brain attack
The infarction in the brain , for its part, is the ischemic cerebrovascular accident ( CVA ) or cerebral attack . It occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted, affecting different functions and causing the death of part of the brain mass.