Myocardial infarction

Disease information

Myocardial infarction

Infarct of myocardium.

It is the death of the muscle cardiac by lack of blood to feed itself.

Prognosis.

The prognosis is very variable, depending on the affected amount of muscle cardiac.

An Infarct of Myocardium estimates a strict pursuit of the medical indications during the rest of the life.

Complications.

In the first hours of the infarct, the greater risk is than the heart begins to bark of disordered and little effective way (not arriving the blood at the organism) and that is stopped later causing the death.

Still surpassed this phase and in the following days, the heart can not be able to pump sufficient blood or can even get to break itself.

If these two phases are surpassed, it is not necessary to forget that a 15% of the patients entered by infarct die in the hospital.

The risk will as large as depend the injury and on its location:

If she is small or it is in a little important zone, the heart can continue working like before.

But if he is great or it affects important zones, then it will send less blood; producing fatigue and a chronic insufficiency cardiac that produces encharcamiento of the lungs (edema pulmonary) and accumulation of liquids in the legs (edema)

If it affects the base or insertions of a valve cardiac, can cause that it works bad.

If it affects the weave that leads the signals for its funcionamento, it can cause arrhythmias or blockades of the heart (it barks slower which it needs the body)

If it affects the partition that separates the cavities cardiac it will produce lack of important air and fatigue.

Diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnosis.

The diagnosis is based on the sintomatología and the electrocardiogram.

Treatment.

The treatment of the acute attack must be made by the doctor, in the hospital.

The rapidity in initiating the suitable treatment is VITAL.

Once surpassed the acute attack:

Smooth but daily exercise.

Diet balanced, free of fats and in moderate amounts.

Let smoke and drink alcohol.

To avoid stress and the tensions.

It can take an active sexual life without getting tired (it consults with its doctor)

Sometimes it is necessary, to avoid the repetition of the infarct, the accomplishment of invasive interventions, from the reapertura of the glass colapsado by means of a tube inserted by the arm or ingle (angioplastia coronary) to the operation to bypass the obstructed pieces of the coronary glasses ("by - pass "coronary)

Medication.

In case of acute attack:

If or it has undergone attacks previously of chest angina, takes the medication that has prescribed to him for these circumstances (usually "spray" for the mouth or a tablet to put underneath the language)

Before going to the doctor, it takes an aspirin.

Prevention.

Even though every day they exist new and better treatments, the prevention is revealed like the most important weapon.

For it, we must avoid the formation of plates of ateroma, since certain habits and diseases exist that contribute to their development. For that reason:

Let smoke.

If he is obese, becomes thin.

Make exercise regularly.

Try not to abuse fats, mainly animals.

If he is diabetic, hypertense or the cholesterol has stop, consults with its doctor and contrólese regularly even though is well.

Finally to emphasize that the feminine hormones protect to the woman of the infarct before the menopause. And it can that later; if they make hormonal a treatment substitute.

In the greater man of 40 years, the taking of average daily aspirin seems to reduce the risk.

Signs and symptoms.

Pain opresivas characteristics on the left flank, that can extend towards the left jaw and the arm.

Sensation of imminent death.

Perspiration.

Anguish.

Nauseas.

Factors of risk.

Age superior to 40 years.

Familiar history of aterosclerosis and / or infarcts of myocardium.

Mellitus Diabetes.

Obesity.

Stimulating cocaine and and Tabaquismo consumption.

Sedentary life.

Alterations in sanguineous fats (Hipercolesterolemia)

Diseases cardiac that produce excess of development of the muscle cardiac (Hipertrofia)

Masculine sex.

Menopause.

Causes.

The heart is a hollow, responsible muscle to pump the blood by all the body.

In the blood they go dissolved to oxygen and the nutrients that circulating around arteries arrive at the cells. These undo of the remainders, that if they are accumulated are toxic, and by the veins they return to the heart. So that the blood circulates, the heart is contracted 70 times per minute, increasing the number of contractions if they increase the necessities metabolic. Thus the heart works, without rest, during all the life.

The heart, formed by cells, also needs nutrients and oxygen that cannot gather of its interior. At him they arrive through called arteries coronary that will distribute the blood by all the cardiac muscle.

Like all, these arteries are divided in their interior until being microscopic (hair) Here the blood circulates slowly and the cells can gather oxygen and the nutrients and leave the remainder substances.

If the coronary arteries become hardened and lose flexibility, undergo a arterioesclerosis. In addition, its wall thickens obstructing its light: they are the plates of ateroma.

When the obstruction is great, the heart in rest can receive still sufficient blood, but when needing with the exercise greater amount this one, cannot arrive sufficient blood to him.

Isquemia appears therefore one, that it is pronounced like a pain, opresivo, in left half of the thorax and that can extend until the neck, the jaw and the left arm. The patient presents / displays in addition malaise, perspiration and sometimes nauseas and vomits: it is the angina of pecho. Suele to pronounce when making an exercise, after an abundant food, when happening of a warm place to one cold, during the sex and in general, when demanding to the heart a special effort.

When the artery is obstructed totally, or because the plate of ateroma has grown, or because trombo has formed, it appears the same pain the angina, but this time it does not calm none.

If the obstruction continues, the heart lets receive blood and the cells of the myocardium die: it is the Infarct of Myocardium. Here a fibrous weave scar forms that is not able to be contracted.

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