Guidelines

What is the pathology of a myocardial infarction?

What is the pathology of a myocardial infarction?

In the clinical context, myocardial infarction is usually due to thrombotic occlusion of a coronary vessel caused by rupture of a vulnerable plaque. Ischemia induces profound metabolic and ionic perturbations in the affected myocardium and causes rapid depression of systolic function.

What is the pathogenesis of an acute MI?

Myocardial infarction usually results from sudden occlusion of the coronary artery when a ‘high-risk’, thrombosis-prone plaque becomes eroded or ruptures. In the vast majority of cases, myocardial infarction results from coronary atherosclerosis with a superimposed luminal thrombus.

What happens in acute myocardial infarction?

Acute myocardial infarction is the medical name for a heart attack. A heart attack is a life-threatening condition that occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is abruptly cut off, causing tissue damage. This is usually the result of a blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries.

What are the stages of myocardial infarction?

The myocardial infarction process can be divided into 2 phases, an early evolving phase (the first 6 hours) and a later convalescent phase. An evolving infarction is associated with an occluded coronary artery; in most cases, a thrombotic occlusion occurs.

What happens after a myocardial infarction?

After myocardial infarction (MI), the heart undergoes extensive myocardial remodeling through the accumulation of fibrous tissue in both the infarcted and noninfarcted myocardium, which distorts tissue structure, increases tissue stiffness, and accounts for ventricular dysfunction.

What is the most common complication of a myocardial infarction?

Ventricular free wall rupture. VFWR is the most serious complication of AMI. VFWR is usually associated with large transmural infarctions and antecedent infarct expansion. It is the most common cause of death, second only to LV failure, and it accounts for 15-30% of the deaths associated with AMI.

What is the best treatment for myocardial infarction?

All patients with a suspected myocardial infarction should be given aspirin. It is a powerful antiplatelet drug, with a rapid effect, which reduces mortality by 20%. Aspirin, 150-300 mg, should be swallowed as early as possible.

What are the signs of old myocardial infarction?

Myocardial infarction
Specialty Cardiology, emergency medicine
Symptoms Chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, feeling faint, cold sweat, feeling tired; arm, neck, back, jaw, or stomach pain
Complications Heart failure, irregular heartbeat, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest
Causes Usually coronary artery disease

What does a myocardial infarction look like on an ECG?

The ECG findings of an acute anterior myocardial infarction wall include: ST segment elevation in the anterior leads (V3 and V4) at the J point and sometimes in the septal or lateral leads, depending on the extent of the MI. This ST segment elevation is concave downward and frequently overwhelms the T wave.

What is the main aim for treating a myocardial infarction?

Once the patient reaches hospital, the major aim of treatment is to decrease the size of the infarct. Fibrinolytic therapy with streptokinase or tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) restores coronary patency and significantly reduces mortality.

What is the gross pathology of myocardial infarction?

Gross Pathology. Myocardial infarction can be classified temporally from clinical and other features, as well as according to the pathological appearance as: Evolving phase of myocardial infarction: (>6 hours), Acute phase of myocardial infarction: (6 hours – 7 days),

When do macrophages appear in acute myocardial infarction?

Macrophages begin to appear by day 2-3; by day 3-5, fibroblasts appear, with an accelerated rate of healing as compared with that of nonreperfused infarcts. Subendocardial infarcts may be fully healed as early as 2-3 weeks. Larger infarcts and those reperfused after 6 hours take longer to heal.

What is the lay term for myocardial infarction?

Myocardial infarction, abbreviated MI, is death of cardiac muscle due to a compromised blood supply. In the context of pathology, they are occasionally seen at autopsy . The lay term for MI is heart attack . Usually diagnosed clinically – with blood work (troponin, CK-MB) or EKG.

What’s the difference between acute and acute myocardial infarction?

Acute myocardial infarction (1 – 2 days) with early neutrophilic infiltrate, microscopic. Acute myocardial infarction (1 – 2 days), hyperemic border, microscopic. Acute myocardial infarction (3 – 4 days), extensive neutrophilic infiltrate, microscopic. Acute myocardial infarction, gross. Acute myocardial infarction, gross.