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 …show more content…
heart and how blood flows through the body. The heart is considered to be the major organ of the cardiovascular system and is located in the thoracic cavity between the lungs, known as the mediastinum. The lowest superficial part of the heart is called the apex, and is superior to the diaphragm. The walls of the heart are composed of cardiac muscle known as the myocardium, the thickest part of the heart wall and is arranged in networks called bundles. The walls of the heart are then lined with endocardium; simple squamous epithelium that covers the heart and heart valves. The heart is then enclosed by the pericardium, which is composed of three layers, epicardium, parietal pericardium, and fibrous pericardium. The heart is composed of four chambers, where the right side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood and the left side pumps oxygenated blood. The upper chambers of the heart are known as the left and right atria, while the lower chambers are the left and right ventricles and are separated by the interventricular septum. From the superior vena cava, deoxygenated blood is received from the right atrium and goes down to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve. Next, as the right ventricle contracts, the deoxygenated blood goes up through the pulmonary trunk and is pumped to the lungs to be oxygenated. The left atrium receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs by four pulmonary veins. Blood then goes down through the left ventricle through the bicuspid valve. After this process, blood is finally pumped to the rest of the body through the aortic valve (Sanders, Scalon, 2007), (Mirzatoni, 2016). By understanding the anatomy of the heart and how blood flows through, I can vividly describe how myocardial infarction occurs.
The heart requires constant supply of oxygen and nutrients from the major large coronary arteries to function properly. Myocardial infarction is a disease that is built over a period of time, going through a process before occurring. Blood is constant flowing through our hearts to become oxygenated and delivered to the rest of our bodies. When our two large coronary arteries are blocked due to cholesterol plaque build-up or a blood clot, blood flow becomes disrupted and makes the heart work harder, a condition known as atherosclerosis (Smith, Nazario, Bhargava, & Cassoobhoy). When this condition occurs, the oxygenated blood becomes deprived from a portion of the heart, resulting in cardiac ischemia. As of a result, myocardial infarction occurs when cardiac ischemia lasts too long, resulting the starved portion of the heart to die (necrosis) (Smith, Nazario, Bhargava, & Cassoobhoy).
While myocardial infarction can be prevented, it is important to know the treatments when diagnosed with this condition.
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
episode, and is followed by anxiety, depression, decreased sex drive, and limited daily life activities. Also having a heart attack leaves the patient more vulnerable to other types such as stroke, obesity, and diabetes. That is why by understanding how to prevent, and treat a myocardial infarction, people can feel more secure about this disease and prevent it from affecting their lives. This disease affects both men and women and by providing statistical analysis, I can further demonstrate why a heart attack is the number killer disease in the world, and how much this disease affects men and women. According to Heart Attack Statistics, “heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, in which more than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2008 were men” but yet “more women than men die of heart disease each year”. Heart Attack Statistics also states that “heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, killing more than a third of them”. Interesting enough, “ in women before menopause, estrogen is believed to exert a protective effect by lowering blood lipid levels, causing heart attacks in the 30-50 year old range less frequent in women then in men” (Sanders, Scalon, 2007, page 280). Knowing this information, myocardial infarction may affect more women than men, but this condition occurs the same way to both genders.
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 …show more content…
heart and how blood flows through the body. The heart is considered to be the major organ of the cardiovascular system and is located in the thoracic cavity between the lungs, known as the mediastinum. The lowest superficial part of the heart is called the apex, and is superior to the diaphragm. The walls of the heart are composed of cardiac muscle known as the myocardium, the thickest part of the heart wall and is arranged in networks called bundles. The walls of the heart are then lined with endocardium; simple squamous epithelium that covers the heart and heart valves. The heart is then enclosed by the pericardium, which is composed of three layers, epicardium, parietal pericardium, and fibrous pericardium. The heart is composed of four chambers, where the right side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood and the left side pumps oxygenated blood. The upper chambers of the heart are known as the left and right atria, while the lower chambers are the left and right ventricles and are separated by the interventricular septum. From the superior vena cava, deoxygenated blood is received from the right atrium and goes down to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve. Next, as the right ventricle contracts, the deoxygenated blood goes up through the pulmonary trunk and is pumped to the lungs to be oxygenated. The left atrium receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs by four pulmonary veins. Blood then goes down through the left ventricle through the bicuspid valve. After this process, blood is finally pumped to the rest of the body through the aortic valve (Sanders, Scalon, 2007), (Mirzatoni, 2016). By understanding the anatomy of the heart and how blood flows through, I can vividly describe how myocardial infarction occurs.
The heart requires constant supply of oxygen and nutrients from the major large coronary arteries to function properly. Myocardial infarction is a disease that is built over a period of time, going through a process before occurring. Blood is constant flowing through our hearts to become oxygenated and delivered to the rest of our bodies. When our two large coronary arteries are blocked due to cholesterol plaque build-up or a blood clot, blood flow becomes disrupted and makes the heart work harder, a condition known as atherosclerosis (Smith, Nazario, Bhargava, & Cassoobhoy). When this condition occurs, the oxygenated blood becomes deprived from a portion of the heart, resulting in cardiac ischemia. As of a result, myocardial infarction occurs when cardiac ischemia lasts too long, resulting the starved portion of the heart to die (necrosis) (Smith, Nazario, Bhargava, & Cassoobhoy).
While myocardial infarction can be prevented, it is important to know the treatments when diagnosed with this condition.
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
episode, and is followed by anxiety, depression, decreased sex drive, and limited daily life activities. Also having a heart attack leaves the patient more vulnerable to other types such as stroke, obesity, and diabetes. That is why by understanding how to prevent, and treat a myocardial infarction, people can feel more secure about this disease and prevent it from affecting their lives. This disease affects both men and women and by providing statistical analysis, I can further demonstrate why a heart attack is the number killer disease in the world, and how much this disease affects men and women. According to Heart Attack Statistics, “heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, in which more than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2008 were men” but yet “more women than men die of heart disease each year”. Heart Attack Statistics also states that “heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, killing more than a third of them”. Interesting enough, “ in women before menopause, estrogen is believed to exert a protective effect by lowering blood lipid levels, causing heart attacks in the 30-50 year old range less frequent in women then in men” (Sanders, Scalon, 2007, page 280). Knowing this information, myocardial infarction may affect more women than men, but this condition occurs the same way to both genders.