Myocardial infarction is commonly called a heart attack. This emergency develops when the blood flow of the heart muscles is suddenly interrupted, causing tissue damage. This is usually due to blockage in the coronary arteries due to plaque formation (the substance of fat, cholesterol, and cellular waste) or an instant blood clot. A heart attack can result in death or lifelong heart damage. 

Symptoms of Myocardial Infarction

Heart attack symptoms can vary, like mild, severe, or no symptoms. Some common symptoms are, 

  • Chest pain like pressure, tightness, squeezing or aching
  • Pain or discomfort in the shoulder, arm, back, neck, jaw, teeth, or rarely on the upper stomach. 
  • Cold sweating
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety 
  • Vomiting 
  • Heartburn or indigestion
  • Sudden dizziness ( feels like fainting) 
  • Sleeping trouble (insomnia) 
  • Nausea
  • Shortness of breath
  • Heart palpitations ( feels like pounding, racing, and missing heartbeat) 
  • Sense of impending doom

Risk factors for myocardial infarction

  • Age: There is a higher chance of having a heart attack as age increases. In men 45 years of age or more and women 55 years of age or more. 
  • Tobacco use: Includes smoking or long-term exposure to second hand smoke. 
  • High blood pressure can damage the arteries, leading to a heart attack. 
  • Stress, diabetics, obesity 
  • Family history of heart attack
  • Physical inactivity 
  • Illegal drug use
  • Preeclampsia (hypertension disorder during pregnancy) 

Complications: 

  • Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) 
  • Swelling of the sac-like tissue covering the heart (pericarditis)
  • Cardiogenic shock (sudden inability to pump blood)
  • Cardiac arrest

Diagnostic test: 

Anybody experiencing heart attack symptoms should have a physical examination, which includes monitoring the heart and lungs and measuring blood pressure, oxygen levels in the blood, and pulse checking. The diagnostic test includes 

  1. Blood test: It checks for proteins associated with heart damage, such as troponin (Chemical marker). 
  2. Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG): It records the electrical signal from the heart to check for electrical activity.
  3. Echocardiogram: Used to detect heart damage and abnormalities using ultrasound (high-frequency sound waves) and produces images of the heart’s chambers and valves. 
  4. Angiogram: Helps in monitoring the blood flow in the heart or blood vessels.
  5. Heart computed tomography (CT) scan:  It is used to examine the heart for blockage or narrowed arteries, providing 3D images of the heart by passing multiple X-ray beams. 
  6. Heart MRI: Used to produce images of the heart by passing radio waves and a magnetic field to detect heart damage and other abnormalities. 

Treatment 

Blood flow needs to be fixed immediately to increase oxygen levels. Treatments include 

  • Anti-clotting medications: Medicine such as aspirin( blood thinner) improves blood flow through narrowed arteries by breaking up the blood clots. 
  • Nitroglycerin: This medication is for chest discomfort and widens blood arteries to ease blood flow.
  • Thrombolytic is often used to dissolve clots.
  • Antiplatelet drugs: Medication that protects platelets from clumping together and forming blood clots. For example, clopidogrel is used to form new blood clots. 
  • Beta-blockers: It lowers blood pressure and relaxes the heart muscle, which limits the severity of damage to your heart. 
  • ACE inhibitors: Used to lower blood pressure by decreasing stress on the heart.
  •  Pain relievers: Medicine like morphine may be used to reduce heart discomfort.

Your doctor may test and diagnose myocardial infarction with a medical history examination, blood test, or imaging test. Myocardial infarction is treated with different methods depending on the underlying issues. 

Brilinta 90mg treats myocardial infarction and other heart disease conditions. It is an antiplatelet medication that prevents platelet formation and decreases the formation of harmful blood clots. This lowers the chance of heart attack or stroke. The most common side effects of Brilinta 90mg are nausea, fatigue, joint inflammation, bleeding nose and gum, vision problem, and joint pain.