What kind of heart attacks are there

Learn what happens to your heart, heart rate, and blood pressure during a heart attack. It's possible to see some blood pressure changes during a heart attack, but can a change in blood pressure be a warning sign for a heart attack? Both heart attacks and heartburn cause chest pain. However, there are distinctions between the two conditions.

Learn how to tell the difference. An acute myocardial infarction is a heart attack. Learn about the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of this life threatening condition. Based on new evidence, a U. During a heart attack, blood supply that normally nourishes the heart with oxygen is cut off and the heart muscle begins to die.

The protein troponin is released in the blood after you have a heart attack. Learn about the troponin test, other causes of high troponin levels, and…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. CAS, silent heart attack, or heart attack without blockage. Treatments for all types of heart attacks. Heart attack recovery and outlook.

What increases your risk of a heart attack? Heart attack prevention tips. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Heart Attack Facts, Statistics, and You. Medically reviewed by Dr. Payal Kohli, M. Medically reviewed by Graham Rogers, M. Acute Myocardial Infarction heart attack. Medically reviewed by Angelica Balingit, MD. The interrupted blood flow can damage or destroy part of the heart muscle.

A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, can be fatal, but treatment has improved dramatically over the years. It's crucial to call or emergency medical help if you think you might be having a heart attack. Not all people who have heart attacks have the same symptoms or have the same severity of symptoms. Some people have mild pain; others have more severe pain.

Some people have no symptoms. For others, the first sign may be sudden cardiac arrest. However, the more signs and symptoms you have, the greater the chance you're having a heart attack. Some heart attacks strike suddenly, but many people have warning signs and symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance. The earliest warning might be recurrent chest pain or pressure angina that's triggered by activity and relieved by rest.

Angina is caused by a temporary decrease in blood flow to the heart. Act immediately. Some people wait too long because they don't recognize the important signs and symptoms. Take these steps:. Call for emergency medical help.

If you suspect you're having a heart attack, don't hesitate. Immediately call or your local emergency number. If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have someone drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only if there are no other options. Because your condition can worsen, driving yourself puts you and others at risk. Take aspirin, if recommended. Taking aspirin during a heart attack could reduce heart damage by helping to keep your blood from clotting.

Aspirin can interact with other medications, however, so don't take an aspirin unless your doctor or emergency medical personnel recommend it. Don't delay calling to take an aspirin.

Call for emergency help first. If you see someone who's unconscious and you believe is having a heart attack, first call for emergency medical help. Then check if the person is breathing and has a pulse. If the person isn't breathing or you don't find a pulse, only then should you begin CPR.

Push hard and fast on the person's chest in a fairly rapid rhythm — about to compressions a minute. If you haven't been trained in CPR , doctors recommend performing only chest compressions.

If you have been trained in CPR , you can go on to opening the airway and rescue breathing. A heart attack occurs when one or more of your coronary arteries becomes blocked. Over time, a buildup of fatty deposits, including cholesterol, form substances called plaques, which can narrow the arteries atherosclerosis. This condition, called coronary artery disease, causes most heart attacks. David L.

In the movies, when someone has a heart attack, that person clutches his chest or arm and falls to the ground. Some people have exactly that experience. Ultimately, the seriousness of the heart attack is judged by the amount of heart muscle that is permanently damaged. Your cardiologist will assess this damage through use of echocardiography , which is an ultrasound of the heart. Treatment of a heart attack will depend on the type and severity of the heart attack.

Several types of heart attacks are discussed below, as well as non-heart-related sources of chest pain. Remember, if you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, dial Every minute you delay if it is a heart attack could result in permanent heart muscle damage or increased risk of death.

An ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction STEMI is a serious form of heart attack in which a coronary artery is completely blocked and a large part of the heart muscle is unable to receive blood. This type of heart attack requires immediate, emergency revascularization which restores blood flow through the artery. This revascularization is achieved either with drugs in the form of thrombolytics clot busters , which are given intravenously, or mechanically with angioplasty — a treatment using thin, flexible tubes called catheters to open the closed artery.

These catheters are positioned at the beginning of the coronary arteries the arteries of the heart , and contrast dye is injected through them to enable the interventional cardiologist to gather images of any blockage in the coronary arteries.

A stent — a metal, mesh tube — is often inserted at the same time to permanently prop the cleared artery open to allow blood to flow through. However, these patients will test positively for a protein called troponin in their blood that is released from the heart muscle when it is damaged.

Treatment for an NSTEMI heart attack consists of medication and evaluation for whether a blockage is present that should be treated with medication only, cleared through angioplasty or treated with cardiac bypass graft surgery.

A coronary artery spasm is when the artery wall tightens and blood flow through the artery is restricted — potentially leading to chest pain, or blood flow is cut off all together — causing a heart attack. Coronary artery spasm comes and goes.