Myocardial Infarction Pathology

The Pathology of Myocardial Infarction

The heart is considered one of the most vital organs for human survival and is responsible for giving human life and pumping blood through the arteries, capillaries, and veins. Heart diseases make the heart function improperly which causes the blood to not circulate throughout the body, making human life impossible. Heart diseases is considered to be number one on the top ten lists of death in the world. Because of this reason, I believe that understanding heart diseases such as myocardial infarction is crucial for not only human survival but also preventing this disease from occurring. In order to understand the heart disease myocardial infarction, we must first need to understand the anatomy of the
In Harvard Health Topics it is explained that the treatment is determined on how stable the person’s condition and his or her immediate risk of death (page 1). Patient will receive a variety of drugs such as aspirin to prevent blood clot, oxygen for breathing, morphine for chest pains, nitroglycerin to help blood flow, and beta-blockers to reduce the heart’s demand for oxygen (page 1). Once the patient is stable, reperfusion therapy is implemented which restores blood flow back to the injured muscle to prevent any more harm (page 1). The patient is then transferred to a cardiac catheterization laboratory within the hospital, where a catheter is threaded to a blood vessel and is then injected with a dye to determine the location of the coronary blockage (page 1). Once the location is determined, a different type of catheter attached with a deflated balloon and a stent is inserted to the affected blood vessel. The balloon is then inflated to crush the clots and plaque build-up while the stent is placed to keep the artery open. The drugs given are to help reduce the symptoms and the surgical process, known as angioplasty, is to help fix the underlying disease. It is important to know how the treatment process works because this information can be implemented to loved ones, making us more aware of its symptoms, and possibly saving a life. Also this information leads us to understand how to prevent a myocardial infarction from occurring and the post-life after having one. Maintaining a healthy diet and weight, exercising often, staying away from tobacco products, managing stress, and regulating blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels all can help prevent a heart attack from occurring. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, life becomes more difficult after having a heart attack because people become scared of having another