The cardiovascular diseases

THE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION - HEART ATTACK

- Definition
- A few explanations
- The Symptoms
- How to make the diagnosis?
- Gravity diagnosis and prognosis
- The Causes
- Evolution and complications
- Medical treatment
- The Coronarography
- Treatment by angioplasty or "Stent"
- The surgical treatment
- Monitoring
- Conclusion

DEFINITION

The myocardial infarction (heart attack) is defined as a reduction of the contribution in oxygen to the heart muscle cells; it is responsible for the death of these cells and therefore for the destruction of a part of the cardiac muscle.

The myocardial infarction often follows an angina pectoris that constitutes a sign of alert in a way.

It is unfortunately a very frequent illness, predominating in the man and occurring in priority in the subjects having cardiovascular risk factors such as tobacco, obesity, and existence of a diabetes mellitus, a high rate of cholesterol and a HBP (high blood pressure).

In France for example, one counts about 110 000 infarcts per year and 50 000 deaths.

The myocardial infarction is therefore a frequent and serious affection. It implies an urgent management in a specialized hospital with a well-codified treatment.

The treatment aims at facilitating the blood irrigation of the cardiac muscle. From that point of view, important progresses have been made in cardiology these last years.

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File last modified on july 24, 2006