Free Essays on Myocardial Infarction

The heart is arguably the most vital organ in the human body. What happens when the heart muscle begins to die? A myocardial infarction (or heart attack) is the death of a part of the heart muscle due to its sudden loss of blood supply. What causes this sudden loss of blood supply? What is reperfusion? What is a PTCA? What causes the heart muscle to lose its blood supply? Usually, the loss of the heart’s blood supply is caused by the total blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot on a cholesterol plaque in the artery. Cholesterol is a fatty chemical which is a part of the outer lining of cells in the body. Cholesterol plaque is the formation of a hard substance within the walls of the artery caused by deposits of cholesterol over time. This process begins while a person is in their teenage years. If a person begins eating unhealthy foods at a young age, he or she will be prone to a heart attack at a later age. What is reperfusion? Reperfusion is the main goal in treating heart attack victims. The chance of survival increase the sooner reperfusion is established. This process restores blood flow to the heart muscle. Once blood flow is restored, the patient becomes pain free. If done soon enough, the amount of damage to the organ is minimized and the pumping of the muscle is preserved. Optimal benefit is reached if reperfusion can be attained between 4 and 6 hours after the attack. The most common method of reaching reperfusion is by performing a PTCA. The most direct method of opening a blocked artery is to perform an immediate coronary angiogram and PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty). A tiny plastic catheter with a small balloon at the end is advanced into the artery. It is moved up to the blockage point and is inflated thus pushing the clot and plaque out of the way. This process can be up to 95% effective within the first 60 minutes. This process also allows testing of the status of... Free Essays on Myocardial Infarction Free Essays on Myocardial Infarction The heart is arguably the most vital organ in the human body. What happens when the heart muscle begins to die? A myocardial infarction (or heart attack) is the death of a part of the heart muscle due to its sudden loss of blood supply. What causes this sudden loss of blood supply? What is reperfusion? What is a PTCA? What causes the heart muscle to lose its blood supply? Usually, the loss of the heart’s blood supply is caused by the total blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot on a cholesterol plaque in the artery. Cholesterol is a fatty chemical which is a part of the outer lining of cells in the body. Cholesterol plaque is the formation of a hard substance within the walls of the artery caused by deposits of cholesterol over time. This process begins while a person is in their teenage years. If a person begins eating unhealthy foods at a young age, he or she will be prone to a heart attack at a later age. What is reperfusion? Reperfusion is the main goal in treating heart attack victims. The chance of survival increase the sooner reperfusion is established. This process restores blood flow to the heart muscle. Once blood flow is restored, the patient becomes pain free. If done soon enough, the amount of damage to the organ is minimized and the pumping of the muscle is preserved. Optimal benefit is reached if reperfusion can be attained between 4 and 6 hours after the attack. The most common method of reaching reperfusion is by performing a PTCA. The most direct method of opening a blocked artery is to perform an immediate coronary angiogram and PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty). A tiny plastic catheter with a small balloon at the end is advanced into the artery. It is moved up to the blockage point and is inflated thus pushing the clot and plaque out of the way. This process can be up to 95% effective within the first 60 minutes. This process also allows testing of the status of...