What is myocardial infarction ?

What is myocardial infarction? You have to know the definition of myocardium first. Myocardium is a medical definition from heart muscle. The infarction means the death or can’t relieve properly. The term myocardial infarction literally means the death of the heart muscles.  The part of heart muscle suddenly loses its blood supply. If this myocardial infarction happens, the heart can’t pumps the blood circulating through the bodies. Myocardial infarction can lead to heart attack and deteriorate to be a fatal condition called sudden death.

The heart function is pumping blood into blood vessel (arteries) which deliver the blood to every tissues and cells. The heart muscle, like all muscles in all part of bodies, which always needs a good blood supply. On the base of aorta, the biggest artery in human body, the coronary arteries appear and run through anterior wall and left part of muscles. Normally, there are two main coronary arteries. The main arteries divide into smaller branches to continue deliver oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the heart muscle.

what happen exactly in myocardial infarction?

People who have a myocardial infarction means have a blockage in main coronary artery or one of its smaller branches. The part of the heart muscle supplied by this artery will lose oxygen so it is at risk of dying and continue to die, unless the blockage removed quickly. So, the term infarction means death of some tissue due to blocked the coronary artery. Infarction not only can happen in heart muscle but can happen in other tissue too such as in brain. If the infarction happens in brain, it is called stroke.

taken from eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org

Some people can survive from myocardial infarction due to rapid and proper helps. But the part of heart muscles that has died can’t recover back again and replaced by scar tissue over the next few weeks. The scar tissue formation also called fibrosis. Fibrosis of the heart muscle makes heart pump function is not well.

If small branches of coronary artery blocked, it will cause a condition silent myocardial infarction. Silent myocardial infarction happens without causing pain. It may pain-free, or sometime the pain is mild, and people only think it is just a heartburn or wind. That will be collapse or sudden death if silent myocardial infarction not diagnosed properly.

Today, many diagnostic tools can detect myocardial infarction. Contact an internist or cardiologist if suffer chest pain or chest discomfort. Myocardial infarction may become avoidable through healthier lifestyle and good education.