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

THE CAUSES

As the heart has three main arteries, called coronary arteries, bringing the oxygen to three different muscular territories of the heart, the myocardial infarction (heart attack) is generally systematized: it can occur in the anterior, lower, and lateral heart territory.

Arteries plug because of the plaques of atherosclerosis inside; these plaques of atherosclerosis are constituted of fat and cholesterol; they are atheroma plaques. The formation of these plaques of atherosclerosis is induced by the cardiovascular risk factors such as tobacco, cholesterol, diabetes, HBP and obesity.

Either these plaques of atherosclerosis enlarge, or they break and lead to the making of a clot, these two mechanisms being responsible for the obstruction of the coronary artery.

Once the artery is plugged, the whole territory normally irrigated by this artery dies, therefore inducing the formation of the infarct (a word meaning “infarction” of the cardiac muscle).

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File last modified on july 24, 2006