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Myocardial Infarction

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Myocardial Infarction

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; approximately 500,000-700,000 deaths related to the coronary artery occur each year. Approximately 1.5 million cases of myocardial infarction occur annually in the United States. Myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is the irreversible necrosis of heart muscle secondary to prolonged ischemia. This usually results from an imbalance in oxygen supply and demand, which is most often caused by plaque rupture with thrombus formation in a coronary vessel, resulting in an acute reduction of blood supply to a portion of the myocardium. Patients with typical myocardial infarction may have the following prodromal symptoms: Intense sharp chest pain, radiation of chest pain up to neck, shoulder, jaw and down left arm, ventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation or flutter, Coughing, wheezing, Fever, Fatigue, chest discomfort, and Malaise. Atherosclerosis is the disease primarily responsible almost 90% of myocardial infarctions that result from an acute thrombus that obstructs an atherosclerotic coronary artery. Plaque rupture and erosion are considered to be the major triggers for coronary thrombosis. Following plaque erosion or rupture, platelet activation and aggregation, coagulation pathway activation, and endothelial vasoconstriction occur, leading to coronary thrombosis and occlusion. The damage in the myocardium is essentially the result of a tissue response that includes apoptosis and inflammatory changes. Myocardial infarction initially manifests as coagulation necrosis that is ultimately followed by myocardial fibrosis. Acute myocardial infarction is associated with a 30% mortality rate; half of the deaths occur prior to arrival at the hospital. An additional 5-10% of survivors die within the first year after their myocardial infarction.

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