Miocardial Infarction - Research Paper Example

It is reported that more than 1 million people per annum suffer a coronary attack, and of these people, 40 percent die as a result of a stroke. Thus, an American dies every minute from a coronary episode pathological state (Bartolomei et al, 2010). Pathophysiology Myo means muscles while cardio refers to the heart; myocardium infarction is a condition that occurs due to the poor or diminished blood supply to the heart tissues and because of this death of the tissues occurs. The condition occurs when the coronary arteries are blocked resulting in reduced oxygen supply to the tissues and thereby causing death of myocardial tissues in certain regions of the heart.

Due to obstruction in the coronary artery, blood supply to the heart is limited, and as a result within 10 seconds ischemia of the myocardial cells occurs, as they are deprived of essential nutrients such as oxygen and glucose. Ischemic cells display reduced electrical and muscular function because of lack of oxygen an anaerobic metabolism is enforced. The anaerobic metabolism enables the cells to produce lactic acid as a waste product. Accumulation of lactic acid generates pain in the region of obstruction.

This could be recorded through an ECG where zone of ischemia is observed in the form of T-wave inversion, zone of injury is observed as a ST elevation while the zone of necrosis is observed through an abnormal Q wave. The pain initiated in the chest radiates to other regions like the neck, shoulder and left side of the body specifically the left arm. The patient may display symptoms of shortness of breath due to lack of oxygen supply to the ischemic region, weakness because of improper functioning of the heart, dizziness and anxiety, nausea and profuse sweating (Burke & Virmani, 2007).

One of the chief eliciting factors encompasses atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary artery which is responsible for the clotting as well as occlusion of the artery (Tsujita et al, 2010). Mechanism and consequences of plaque rupture is a matter of great concern as building up of atherosclerosis is a slow process and is formed from cholesterol on the arterial walls as a result the lumen of the artery becomes narrow (stenosis). These plaques are more liable to break off and thereby promote thrombus.

The disrupted plaque may move with the circulating blood and potentially obstruct capillaries of other arteries. A blockade results in ischemia, and if it is in a coronary artery, it occurs in the heart leading to irreparable necrosis of the myocardial cells, leaving a collagen scar formation (Spaan et al, 2008). In certain cases, atheroma may result in aneurysms or the enlargement of the artery at that specific locus, thereby stress is generated on the arterial walls, rendering them weak. Further tension may lead to hemorrhage which is responsible for the death of a patient.

Stenosis and aneurysmal enlargement may occur at a different location, in a coronary artery or in the brain resulting in a stroke (Cole et al, 2007). Clinical Presentation Patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction are hospitalized for 3 to 7 days and are asked to perform a low-level exercise test to look for symptoms or signs of ischemia at a low workload. Except for patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction or severe congestive heart failure or patients manifesting myocardial ischemia at rest or on minimal