Related Terms

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Background

• A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), occurs when the supply of blood and oxygen to an area of heart muscle is blocked.
• A clot (or thrombus) is the final product of the blood coagulation (thickening). Specifically, a thrombus is a blood clot in an intact blood vessel. A thrombus in a large blood vessel will decrease blood flow through that vessel. In a small blood vessel, blood flow may be completely cut-off resulting in the death of tissue supplied by that vessel (as in a heart attack). If a thrombus dislodges and becomes free-floating, it is an embolus.
• The clot can partially block the flow of blood in the arteries of the heart, causing a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle tissue (called ischemia). If the clot completely stops the blood flow in an artery in the heart (called coronary artery), then a heart attack develops. If treatment is not started quickly, the affected area of heart muscle begins to die. This injury to the heart muscle can lead to serious complications, and can even be fatal. It is possible to survive a heart attack, but part of the heart muscle may be damaged, causing shortness of breath, chest pain on exertion or at rest, and increases the potential to have another heart attack. It is very important if an individual has had a heart attack in the past to follow doctor's advice in preventing another one.
• The survival rate for U.S. patients hospitalized with a heart attack is approximately 90 to 95%. This represents a significant improvement in survival and is related to improvements in emergency medical response and treatment strategies.
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Risk Factors

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Causes

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Signs and Symptoms

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Diagnosis

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Complications

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Treatment

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Integrative Therapies

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Prevention

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Author Information

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References

Natural Standard developed the above evidence-based information based on a thorough systematic review of the available scientific articles. For comprehensive information about alternative and complementary therapies on the professional level, go to www.naturalstandard.com. Selected references are listed below.

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