Features of acute myocardial infarction and its symptoms

Classification of ischemic damage of myocardium

There are different criteria for the classification of heart attack. Some of them:

• The size of the damage zone – history of large and small injuries.
• The depth of damage to the heart muscle – transmural (full thickness of the heart wall), intramural (necrosis in the thickness of the wall), the upper subendocardialnah (damage to the inner layer), subepicardial (outer layer).
• Topography – the left ventricle (anterior wall, posterior and lateral walls, the interventricular septum), right heart.

Pain, or anginal variant is common (about 90% of all cases). Characterized by pain behind the breastbone high intensity burning, or oppressive nature, which may radiate to (give) in the left limb, the jaw, the neck. You may receive the fear of death, sweating, blanching or redness of skin, shortness of breath. The severity of the pain depends on the size of the target zone, large-focal infarction causes more severe symptoms than small injuries. The pain is not relieved by taking nitroglycerin.

Atypical variants may occur in asthmatic type (to have symptoms of asthma and bronchial asthma), abdominal (symptoms of an acute abdomen), arrhythmic (heart attack, irregular heartbeat), cerebral (with impaired consciousness, dizziness, paralysis, visual disturbances).

The acute phase lasts about 10 days. The area of necrosis delineated finalized and begins the absorption of breakdown products and the formation of scar. The pain syndrome disappears or decreases. Possibly fever, symptoms of hypotension and heart failure.

The subacute period (about two months) – the stage of formation and compaction of the rumen. The pain syndrome is absent, the condition gradually improved. Health in this period is largely determined by the nature and scope of changes in the heart muscle.

Post-infarction period, or rehabilitation (up to six months), is characterized by the absence of clinical and laboratory signs of a heart attack (saved ECG changes – they will remain for life), but in this phase may develop heart failure, angina and re-infarction.

Complications of myocardial infarction

Acute ischemia of the myocardium, itself being a severe condition, can atheletica associated complications.

The most common complications:

• Heart rhythm disorders (paroxysmal tachycardia, arrythmia, atrial fibrillation). This situation, as the appearance of ventricular fibrillation with a transition in their fibrillation, can cause death of the patient.
• Heart failure is associated with impaired activity of the left ventricle in pumpingof blood through the vessels. It can lead to pulmonary edema, cardiogenic shock and death on the background of a sharp pressure drop and cessation of kidney filtration.
• Pulmonary embolism can lead to pneumonia, pulmonary infarction, and death.
• Cardiac tamponade may occur when rupture of the heart muscle infarction zone and the breakthrough of blood into the cavity of the pericardium. The condition is life-threatening, which requires immediate assistance.
• Acute cardiac aneurysm – a bulging of the area of scar tissue with extensive myocardial damage. In the future may cause the development of heart failure.
• Thromboangiitis – deposition of fibrin on the inner surface of the heart. Isolation can cause stroke, mesenteric thrombosis (closure of the branch vessel supplying the intestine with subsequent necrosis area of the bowel, kidney injury.
• Post-infarction syndrome is the common name of long-term complications (pericarditis, pleurisy, arthralgia).