Causes and Symptoms of Myocardial Infarction

Myocardium is the special muscle that makes up the heart, and like other body muscles, this particular muscle requires constant oxygen supply. According to Roberts (2015) the arteries charged with supplying heart muscle with oxygen rich blood are referred to as coronary arteries. As a result of blockage of these arteries, oxygen rich blood cannot reach parts of the heart muscle, effectively starving the affected muscle of oxygen. It is the resulting damage or death of the affected muscle that triggers what is referred to as a myocardial infarction or heart attack. The extent of damage depends on whether the blockage affects a smaller branch artery or the main coronary artery (Roberts, 2015) – with the former affecting a smaller area of heart muscle. This particular blockage, according to WebMD (2017), could amongst other things result in heart failure, heart rhythms that are either abnormal or irregular, damage to critical organs like the liver or kidney as a consequence of cardiogenic shock, sudden halting of the heartbeat (cardiac death), etc. In essence, after blood poor in oxygen concentration leaves the right atrium, it travels to the lungs where it is oxygenated and, as WebMD (2017) points out, returned “to the heart via the pulmonary veins.” It is through these veins that blood is emptied into the heart’s left atrium. In the words of WebMD, “as the atrium contracts, blood flows from your left atrium into the left ventricle through the open mitral valve.”

The reason a patient, as was the case with my friend’s dad in this case, could feel pain in his left shoulder is because of the inability of the brain to properly differentiate information from sensory fibers coming from the heart and those from his left shoulder/arm (Roberts, 2015). It is important to note that the said sensory fibers have a connection point in the same spinal cord part, meaning that my friend’s dad brain perceived the pain from the heart as originating from his shoulder/arm.

There is need for citizens to be sensitized on how to spot the telltale symptoms of an impending heart attack. When immediate treatment is sought, the risk of death from a myocardial infarction decreases significantly. Some of the symptoms informed citizens should look out for include “chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath…” etc. (American Heart Association, 2017). It is, however, important to note that as the American Heart Association further points out; there could be symptomatic variations between men and women. The symptoms listed above are general. On the identification of these symptoms, an informed citizen should act immediately by, most importantly, calling 911. First aid measures that could be taken include helping the affected individual stay calm, performing CPR in case of consciousness loss, and seeking to loosen clothing that could be overly tight (National Institutes of Health - NIH, 2017).












References
American Heart Association. (2017). Warning Signs of a Heart Attack. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/WarningSignsofaHeartAttack/Warning-Signs-of-a-Heart-Attack_UCM_002039_Article.jsp#.WdfB-cZx3IV
National Institutes of Health – NIH. (2017). Heart Attack First Aid. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000063.htm
Roberts, B.H. (2015). Treating and Beating Heart Disease: A Consumer’s Guide to Cardiac Medicines. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
WebMD. (2017). Understanding Heart Attack: The Basics. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/understanding-heart-attack-basics#2