Category Archives: Myocardial Infarction

A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when a portion of the heart is deprived of oxygen due to blockage of a coronary artery. Coronary arteries supply the heart muscle (myocardium) with oxygenated blood Continue reading →

NICE has assessed 3 assays which measure cardiac troponin levels in the blood, to help the NHS decide whether to use these products. The assays are called Elecsys Troponin T high sensitive, ARCHITECT STAT High Sensitive Troponin-I and AccuTnI+3. Continue reading →

What causes a heart attack? Atherosclerosis is a gradual process by which plaques (collections) of cholesterol are deposited in the walls of arteries Continue reading →

Each year almost 800,000 Americans have a heart attack. A heart attack happens when blood flow to the heart suddenly becomes blocked. Continue reading →

An acute myocardial infarction is caused by necrosis of myocardial tissue due to ischaemia, usually due to blockage of a coronary artery by a thrombus. Most myocardial infarctions are anterior or inferior but may affect the posterior wall of the left ventricle to cause a posterior myocardial infarction. Nearly half of potentially salvageable myocardium is lost within one hour of the coronary artery being occluded, and two thirds are lost within three hours.[1] Myocardial infarction is now considered part of a spectrum referred to as acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Continue reading →

This is an NCLEX review for myocardial infarction (heart attack or MI) part 1.Patients who have experienced a myocardial infarction are at risk for many complications. An MI is when there has been compromised blood flow to the myocardial tissue that leads to cell death Continue reading →

This is a quiz that contains NCLEX questions for myocardial infarction (MI). A myocardial infarction happens when there is not enough blood flow to the heart muscle which causes cells to die. When heart muscle cells die the affected area of tissue becomes necrotic Continue reading →

Myocardial infarction (heart attack or MI) ischemia lecture on the pathophysiology, ECG, nursing role, complications, signs and symptoms. This video on myocardial infarction will help students prepare for the NCLEX exam. Myocardial infarction is when blood supplied to the heart muscle is limited which causes injury to the heart tissue. Injury from an MI causes complications such as pericarditis, cardiac rupture, cardiogenic shock, arrhythmias, ventricular aneurysm, heart failure, and depression. Signs of symptoms of an MI include: chest pain that radiates, is heavy/intense, and is not relieved by nitroglycerin or rest, nausea/vomiting, cold sweat, anxiety, increased heart rate or blood pressure, irregular heart rate. Tools used to diagnose a myocardial infarction include: cardiac markers (troponins, myoglobin, CK or CK-MB levels), EKG, echocardiogram, stress test with myocardial perfusion imaging, or heart catheterization. As the nurse it is important you know the basics about how to read an EKG during a possible myocardial infarction. You must know what areas of the leads reflect which heart wall and what type of EKG changes you are looking for: ST-segment depression or elevation, T-wave inversion or hyperacute, or pathological Q-wave. Don't forget to watch Part 2. Quiz: http://www.registerednursern.com/myoc... Notes: http://www.registerednursern.com/myoc... Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c... Nursing School Supplies: … Continue reading →

What are the symptoms of a heart attack? If you are having any one of the symptoms described below that lasts for more than 5 minutes, SEEK EMERGENCY TREATMENT (CALL 911) WITHOUT DELAY. These symptoms could be the signs of a heart attack (also called myocardial infarction or MI) and immediate treatment is essential. Although most women and men report symptoms of chest pain with a heart attack, women are slightly more likely than men to report unusual symptoms. Those who have more vague or less typical "heart" symptoms have reported the following: In a multi-center study of 515 women who had an acute myocardial infarction (MI), the most frequently reported symptoms were unusual fatigue, sleep disturbances, shortness of breath, indigestion and anxiety. The majority of women (78%) reported at least one symptom for more than one month before their heart attack. Lessons learned: Some people have a heart attack without having any symptoms (a "silent" myocardial infarction). A silent MI can occur among all patients, though it is more common among women or people with diabetes. A silent MI may be diagnosed during a routine doctor's exam. If You Take Nitroglycerin If you have been prescribed nitroglycerin and you … Continue reading →

It is often importantto be able to determine the localization of myocardial infarction and ischemia, as well as being able to determine which coronary artery that is iccluded, and where the occlusion may be located. As discussed below, this may facilitate diagnosis of ischemia and infarction, and it may also guide management. For example, administering nitroglycerin(to alleviate ischemic chest pain) may cause hemodynamic collapsein patients with right ventricular ischemia/infarction; therefore, it is crucial to recognize ECG signs of right ventricular ischemia/infarction. Most clinicians will benefit from this knowledge. For cardiologists particularly interventional cardiologists this knowledge is of paramount importance as they must be able to directly pinpoint where the coronary artery occlusion is located (itaffects the selection of coronary catheter). The termculprit which means the guilty one is used to denote the occluded coronary artery. In the vast majority of cases, it is only possible to determine the ischemic/infarct area (and thus the culprit) if the ECG displaysST segment elevations. However, there are a fewdistinct ECG syndromes (e.g Wellens syndrome, de Winters sign, global ST segment depressions) in which it is possible to determine the ischemic/infarct area despite theabsence of ST segment elevations. The two main coronary arteries emanate from … Continue reading →