Heart Attack

HEART ATTACK, OR acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is one of the most common medical conditions found in daily practice and is still the major cause of death in most countries. AMI is classified under ischémie heart diseases (IHD), which group also includes conditions such as angina pectoris and heart failure.

The main pathophysiological mechanism involved in IHD is the imbalance between the demand and supply of oxygen to the cardiac tissues. This imbalance generally begins with the atherosclerosis (deposition of lipids on the vascular endothelium) of coronary arteries and later leads to the formation of thrombus inside the coronary vessels (the rupture of the unstable athere—tomous plaque, platelet aggregation, activation of the coagulation cascade, and fibrin deposition). Although angina pectoris is usually short lasting [Page 241]and ...