ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

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A Term Paper Presented to Central Bukidnon Institute

Bagontaas, Valencia City, Philippines

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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Subject

English 10

by

Lovely Gercelyn Alcontin & Ivan Descaya

February 2019
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all we like to thank the Almighty Father for helping us and guiding us throughout

our research. Also for protecting us from any dangers we encounter.

To our parents, aunts, uncle, and kuya who supported us in our financial needs and also

for the late night coffees that we enjoy just to stay awake and kicking.

To Sir Roy Almer Geal, for giving us the opportunity to learn how to conduct this term

paper for the purpose of tomorrow.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
page

Title Page…………………………………………………………………………………i

Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………………….ii

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………..iii

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...1-2

Chapter I: Causes………………………………………………………………………...3-5

A. Food Intake………………………………………………………………….3

B. Emotional Stress…………………………………………………………........4

C .Lifestyle………………………………………………………………………4-5

D. Blocking………………………………………………………………………5

Chapter II: Signs/Symptoms……………………………………………………………………..6-7

A. Cardiovascular……………………………………………………………………….6

B. Respiratory…………………………………………………………………………..6-7

C. Neurologic…………………………………………………………………………..7

Chapter III: Treatments…………………………………………………………………………8-10

A. Medications…………………………………………………………………………8-9

B. Surgical and other Procedures………………………………………………………9-10

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..11

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………12
 INTRODUCTION

Acute Myocardial Infarction is the Medical name for heart attack. A heart attack occurs

when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked. The blockage is mostly build-up of fat,

cholesterol, and other substance which forms a plaque in the arteries that feed the heart (coronary

arteries). The plaque eventually breaks away and forms a clot. The interrupted blood flow can

damage or destroy parts of the heart muscle. Also it is a life threatening condition that occur

when blood flow to the heart abruptly cut off, and causing tissue damage (Healtline.com,

Mayoclinic.com)

The term Myocardial Infarction focuses on the “myocardium” (the heart muscles) and

changes that occur in it, due to sudden deprivation of blood circulation. The word infarction

comes from Latin infarcire meaning to plug up or cram. It refers to the clogging of the artery

(Medicine.com).

Cases about heart attack are occurring around the world, one of it is the story of about

Keith Short. Keith Short, a 59 year old man experienced sudden chest pain while in the gym and

disregarded it until he finished and drove home. About half way home, he cannot continue

driving and he called his wife Alita. Alita drove him to the hospital and luckily he survived.

However the damage in the heart was temporary (heart.org).

Next is the case Melissa Murphy. She has two stents in her right coronary artery and

because of this she built a campaign called “Don’t wait for a second” (ibid).

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 Another case, probably the last one, is the case of Tracy Joyce. She had a heart attack in

the year 2013. She had two arteries blocked because she chose to ignore the pain from her chest,

causing more damaged (ibid).

The topic significance is it can help save lives if you are aware. Acute Myocardial Infarction can

happen to anyone. With right knowledge and understanding of this, all of us can prevent it from

happening.

Chapter one of this study deals with the causes and the possible roots of Myocardial

Infarction. Chapter two will be about the signs and symptoms, and lastly the chapter three tackles

about the treatment of Myocardial Infarction.

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 CHAPTER I

CAUSES OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

The following contents and ideas are some of the common causes of Acute Myocardial

Infarction.

A. Food Intake. One of the major causes of having a Acute Myocardial Infarction is

depending on the food you take. According to some studies, eating too much food that has high

amounts of saturated fats; Trans fats; salt and sugar can increase your risk of Acute Myocardial

Infarction (Sullivan 2017).

Eating too much unhealthy food and fatty foods can result to build-up of plaque in the

coronary artery, in which arteries will be blocked due to the build-up of plaque and the blood

flow of your heart can decrease significantly or stop completely ( ibid)

The foods you eat play a huge role in whether you gain too much weight and develop high

cholesterol both of which can increase your risk for heart disease.” The quality and quantity of

types of food you put into your body are important, Dr. Fisher says “look for foods that are high

in nutrients but low in calories (Theobald 2012).”

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 B. Emotional Stress. Stress causes strain on the heart, which creates a higher risk for

cardiovascular disease. Jeffrey Fisher, MD, a cardiologist, clinical professor of medicine at Weill

Cornell Medical College and an attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital,

recommends exercise people experiencing mild to moderate stress. “When people start to

exercise and feel the endorphins, they start to feel better both physically and mentally (Theobald

2012).”

Stress can affect your physical and mental health and your behavior. Too much stress can

have a harmful effect. Unrelieved stress in your life may damage your arteries as well as worsen

other risk factor for Heart Attack (Sullivan 2017).

A few studies have noted that a relationship between coronary heart disease risk and

stress in a person’s life that may affect the risk factors for a heart disease and stroke. Research

has also shown that stress reaction in young adults predicts middle-age blood pressure risk

(American Heart Association 2015).

C. Lifestyle. Having a Myocardial Infarction has a higher possibility that it depends on

your lifestyle. According to the Researcher; your lifestyle is not only your best defense against

heart disease and stroke it is also your responsibility. If you are a smoker you are almost twice as

likely to have a heart attack compared with people who have never smoked. Smoking tobacco

products increases your risk for heart attack (Sullivan 2017).

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 It may also lead to other cardiovascular conditions and diseases. It damages the lining of

your arteries, leading to a build-up of fatty material (atheroma) which narrows the artery. This

can cause angina, heart attack and other heart disease (ibid).

One of the most common parts of a lifestyle of a person is drinking alcoholic beverage.

Drinking too much alcohol beverages can raise blood pressure; increase cardiomyopathy; stroke;

cancer; heart attack and other heart related diseases. Alcohol can contribute to high triglycerides

and produce irregular heartbeats (American Heart Association 2015).

D. Blocking. A heart attack is a life-threatening condition that occurs when blood flow to

the heart muscle is abruptly cut off causing tissue damage. This is usually the result of a

blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries (Sullivan 2017).

These are the several factors that may lead to a blockage in the coronary arteries:

a. Bad Cholesterol, also called as low density lipoprotein (LDL), one of the leading

causes of a blockage in the arteries. Not all cholesterol are bad, but LDL cholesterol can stick to

the walls of your arteries and produce plaque (ibid).

b. Saturated fats, also contribute to the build-up of plaque in the coronary arteries. These

fats may lead to an arterial blockage by increasing the amount of good cholesterol (ibid).

c. Trans fat. A type of fat that contributes to blocked arteries (ibid).

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 CHAPTER II

SIGNS/SYMPTOMS

A. Cardiovascular. Chest pain or discomfort is not relieved by rest or nitroglycerin

palpitations. Nitroglycerin is usually prescribed for angina pectoris, which often called as

“angina”. It is the most commonly reported symptom among both men and women

(Beckerman, 2018).

Nitroglycerin helps widen the blood vessels so that more blood gets to your heart

muscles. That helps stop the pain (ibid).

Increased jugular venous distention may be seen if the Myocardial Infarction has caused

heart failure. Jugular vein distention occurs when the pressure inside the vena cava increases and

appears as a bulge running down the right side of a person’s neck. The blood flow from the head

to the heart is measured by central venous pressure or CVP. An increased volume of blood and

high CVP are signs of heart failure (ibid).

B. Respiratory. Respiration rate is the number of times of breathe in a minute, is one of

the vital signs doctor checks during checkup. The “normal” rate depends on the age of a person,

but a typical adult takes between 12 to 20 breaths a minute when resting. Dyspnea is one of the

symptoms of Myocardial Infarction; this is when you feel “short of breath”, like the body cannot

get enough air. It is a common symptom of many heart and lung problems, and it can be sign of

something serious, like an asthma attack or a heart attack (Robinson 2018).

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 It can also happen at high altitudes, in poor physical health, or are obese. In those cases,

your doctor recommends special breathing exercise, or he may give you oxygen (ibid).

Several Types of Dyspnea happen only when your body is in a certain position. They

include the following:

 Orthopnea- when you feel short of breath when you lie down. It often happens in

people who have failure.

 Paroxysmall Nocturnal Dyspnea- can make you feel so short of breath that you

wake up in the middle night.

 Trepopnea- is a kind of dyspnea that happens when you lie on a certain side.

 Platypea- is a rare type of dyspnea that makes you feel short breath when you

standing up (ibid).

C. Neurologic. According to research lightheadedness is a feeling as if you might faint

your body may feel heavy while your head feel as if it is not getting enough blood.

Lightheadedness can sometime indicate an underlying medical condition and can increase

your risk for experiencing a fall. Lightheadedness is due to a more serious condition including:

Heart conditions such as a heart attack and stroke (Weatherspoon, 2016).

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 CHAPTER III

TREATMENTS

A. Medications. Taking medications can reduce risk of a subsequent heart attack and

help damaged heart function better. Continue to take what doctor prescribes to be monitored

(Mayoclinic.com ).

Medications given to treat a heart attack might include the following:

Aspirin- aspirin reduces blood clotting, thus helping maintain blood flow through

a narrowed artery.

Thrombolytics- also called as clotbusters, help dissolve a blood clot that is

blocking blood flow to your heart. The earlier you receive a thrombolytic drug after a

heart attack, the greater the chance you will survive and have less heart damage.

Antiplatelet Agents- it helps prevent new clots and keep existing clots from

getting larger.

Other blood-thinning medications- heparin is given intravenously or by an

injection under your skin, it make your blood less sticky and less likely to form clots.

Pain Relievers- you might be given a pain reliever such as morphine.

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 Nitroglycerin- used to treat chest pain ( angina), it can help improved blood flow

to the heart by widening the blood vessels.

Beta-blockers- it helps relax your muscle, slow your heartbeat and decrease blood

pressure, making your heart’s job easier. Beta-blockers can limit the amount of heart muscle

damage and prevent future heart attacks.

ACE inhibitors- these drugs lower blood pressure and reduce stress on the heart.

Statins- it helps control your blood cholesterol. (Mayoclinic.com)

B. Surgical and other procedures- In addition to medication, you might have one of

these procedures to treat your heart attack:

Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting - in this procedure, also known as

percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), doctors insert a long, thin tube (catheter) that passed

through an artery in your groin or wrist to a blocked artery in your heart. If you’ve had a heart

attack, this procedure is often done immediately after a cardiac catheterization, a procedure used

to find blockages. This catheter has a special balloon that once in position, is briefly inflated to

open a blocked coronary artery. A metal mesh stent might then be inserted into the artery to keep

it open long term, restoring your condition; you might get a stent coated with a slow-releasing

medication to help keep your artery open.

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 Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery- In some cases, doctors perform emergency bypass

surgery at a time of a heart attack. If possible, however you might have bypass surgery after your

heart has had time- about three to seven days- to recover from your heart attack. Bypass surgery

involves sewing veins or arteries in place beyond a blocked or narrowed coronary artery,

allowing blood flow to the heart to bypass the narrowed section. Once blood flow to your heart is

restored and your condition is stable, you are likely to remain in the hospital for several days.

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 CONCLUSION

Myocardial Infarction or heart attack is the narrowing and blocking of blood vessels in

the heart. Narrowing because the plaque made it narrow causing RBC’s to move in a faster

phase, and blocking because the vessels wall rapture causing the plaque get inside the highway

of RBC’s. This cause Necrosis or death in the heart.

The causes of Myocardial Infarction are the following: the food you intake; emotional

stress; your lifestyle; and blocking of the heart arteries. Also the signs and symptoms of this is

compose of three: Cardiovascular; Respiratory; and neurological. Lastly, will be the treatment

composing of two: the medication and surgical procedure.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

*Cadman,B.(2017,December).Medical news today.Retrieved from

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320320.php

*Weatherspoon,D(2016,July).Healthline.Retrievedfrom
https://www.healthline.com/health/lightheadedness

*Sullivan,D.(2017,November).Healthline.Retrievedfrom
https://www.healthline.com/health/acute-myocardial-infarction

*Beckerman,J.(2018,August).WebMD.Retrievedfrom
https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/nitroglycerin-chest-pain

*Robinson,J.(2018,May).WebMD.Retrievedfrom
https://www.webmd.com/lung/breathing-problems

*MayoClinic.(2018,May).HeartAttack.Retrievedfrom
https://www.mayoclinic.org/disease-conditions/heart-attack/diagnosis-
treatment/drc-20373112

*MayoClinic(2018,May).HeartAttack.Retrievedfrom
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-
20373106

*Teobald, M ( May, 2012). Everyday Health. Retrieved from

https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/heart-disease-risk/lifestyle-changes-protect-
heart/

*Smeltzer, S, Bare,B, Hinkle,J, & Cheever,K, (2010) Brunner &

Suddarath:Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing.839 EDSA South Triangle,
Quezon City, Philippines:C&E Publishing, Inc.

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