Myocardial Infarction Paper

The cardiovascular system keeps blood circulating throughout our bodies constantly, and without it, many of the activities that we do would not be possible! The heart is the main organ of the cardiovascular system because it pumps the blood, and also a major organ of the human body because of how it is able to allow our bodies to work. Unfortunately, the heart may fail to function at times when blood flow is reduced as a result of blockage. This is more commonly known as a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. According to “Heart Disease Statistics,” approximately 715, 000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year . This deadly disorder of the heart can be diagnosed from symptoms, as well as from imaging and tests, and it is possible to

Oxygen is vital to a beating, healthy heart because it is needed to perform cellular respiration in order to pump the blood. When there is no oxygen being transported to the heart, the heart cannot pump blood, and eventually after being inactive, the heart tissue dies . This results in a heart attack. Heart attacks can be diagnosed before it is too late. One method of diagnosis is through a blood test. Blood tests are capable of sorting through the material found in blood, and if heart cell contents are found in the specimen, a heart attack can be diagnosed. If the levels of the cell contents are higher, this signifies that the heart attack is more severe. Another method of diagnosis is an electrocardiogram (ECG). An ECG measures the rhythm of the heart in order to detect defects. There are many other strategies that are used by doctors in order to diagnose a heart attack, such as chest x-rays, stress tests, tilt table tests, and echocardiograms, to name a few. A myocardial biopsy involves looking at the heart cells, and is accomplished by collecting a sample of heart cells from the patient. If the results are positive, a heart attack is diagnosed. A heart MRI involves looking at images of the heart in order to detect heart failure. The doctor uses the images to look for disorders in the structure of the

Often, a heart attack is caused by a coronary artery being blocked by fat. It is imperative to maintain a healthy diet in order to avoid encountering life-threatening problems. Eating junk food or fast food on a daily basis is dangerous to the human body. Exercise is also important to the body to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Another method of prevention is by taking medication. Medication can reduce the risk of a heart attack. A common way to prevent almost any disease is by avoiding smoking and managing stress. Restoring blood flow to the heart can treat heart attacks, and taking medication can do this. For instance, aspirin can reduce blood clotting so that the blood can easily be transported to the heart. Other treatment medications are thrombolytics, which dissolve blood clots, antiplatelet agents, which prevent clots from growing bigger and new clots from developing, and blood-thinning medications . Additional available treatment is surgery; coronary angioplasty and stenting involves inserting a stent into a blocked coronary artery in order to open it up. Coronary artery bypass surgery involves removing a clogged artery and replacing it with a graft so that blood can continue to flow. Heart attacks may be treated before too much damage is done that it is impossible to return to a normal