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Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
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A myocardial infarction is the death of part of the heart muscle, which is what myocardium means. It happens because that portion of muscle went too long without enough blood, and with it, without enough oxygen. What usually sets the problem off is a sudden blockage in a coronary artery, one of the vessels that carries blood to the heart itself. The piece of muscle that depended on that vessel loses the supply that was keeping it alive, the same way a city block wakes up dry when the one water line feeding it gets shut off.
It's worth not confusing this with cardiac arrest, which is a different thing. In a heart attack, blood flow to part of the muscle is cut off; in cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops pumping. They're separate events, though one can lead to the other: a heart attack can end up triggering an arrest.
In brief
A myocardial infarction happens when part of the heart muscle dies after going too long without enough blood flow and oxygen.
The problem often begins with an acute blockage in a coronary artery. The tissue fed by that vessel is then cut off from the blood flow it needs to stay alive.
A heart attack interrupts blood flow to part of the heart muscle; in cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops pumping. A heart attack can trigger cardiac arrest.
Sources (2)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteHeart AttackPublished
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAbout Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and RecoveryPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated