The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body via a system of veins and arteries. Blood flows from the lungs, where it picks up oxygen via the pulmonary veins into the heart, and gets pumped out to the body, delivering oxygen to the tissues. The blood returns to the heart via the veins and gets pumped back to the lungs once again. In order to perform these tasks, the heart requires large amounts of oxygen that it obtains from blood.

An acute myocardial infarct (AMI) – also called a heart attack - may be caused by a blockage in the heart’s arteries that reduces or completely cuts off the blood supply to a portion of the heart. This blockage may be caused by a blood clot that gets stuck in an artery or by a thickening inside the wall of an artery that restricts the flow of blood enough to cause pain and damage. The thickening is usually caused by a build-up of plaque (fat). Symptoms may include chest pain, pain radiating into the jaw, arm or shoulder, rapid pulse, and/or a change in blood pressure. AMIs in women are sometimes accompanied by fewer symptoms than those demonstrated in men. For more information on symptoms and the difference between those that occur in men and women, visit the Heart Information Network. If you experience these symptoms, call 911 or your local emergency number. If medical help is not received promptly, irreversible damage to the heart muscle may occur.

The diagnosis of a heart attack, or other coronary event, may be made by changes in the electrocardiogram (EKG) and by a number of blood tests. The blood tests provide a measure of heart muscle damage. When some of the muscle dies, the dead cells release chemicals into the blood. Some of these are CK, myoglobin, and troponin.  Measuring the levels of these chemicals can detect a heart attack and provide a rough measure of how much muscle has been damaged. In the past, the LDH test was used to help diagnose and monitor a heart attack but has largely been replaced by troponin measurement because troponin is more specific and sensitive to heart tissue injury than LDH.

The cardiac risk assessment can be used to predict who might be at risk for a coronary event.

As in all heart diseases, controlling blood pressure is a primary concern. Drug treatment may include one or a combination of two types of drugs – glycosides, such as digoxin, which help the heart increase contractions, and antiarrhythmics, such as procainamide, which help synchronize the contractions. Your doctor may also prescribe diet and exercise changes appropriate to your condition.