Myocardial infarction which is also known as Heart Attack is caused by a blockage in a coronary artery. The myocardium loses its oxygen supply, and undergoes ischaemic change.
There are two main types of myocardial infarctions:
[i] NSTEMI (non S-T elevated myocardial infarction) - The coronary artery is only partially blocked. Ischaemic damage to partial thickness of the myocardium.
[ii] STEMI (S-T elevated myocardial infarction) where the coronary artery is completely blocked. Ischaemic damage to the full thickness of the myocardium.
The most common cause of a myocardial infarction is an atheroma (lipid collection in the artery walls).
Risk factors for myocardial infarctions include obesity, high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes.
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