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Myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack, can strike without warning. A myocardial infarction occurs when blood supply to a part of the myocardium (heart muscle) is interrupted, either by lack of blood flow, obstruction by a clot, or rupture of a plaque (a buildup of fat and other substances in the blood) in a coronary (heart) artery. Many individuals have coronary artery disease and do not know it until they have a heart attack or die suddenly as a result of myocardial infarction. The January 30, 2008, issue of JAMA includes a study about the use of stents (devices that help to hold diseased coronary arteries open).

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• Chest pain, often crushing, severe, and left-sided
  
• Arm, jaw, or neck pain
  
• Fainting or light-headedness
  
• Nausea
  
• Fatigue
  
• Upper abdominal pain
  
• Loss of consciousness
  
• Cardiac arrest
  

Janet M. Torpy, MD, Writer; Cassio Lynm, MA, Illustrator; Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor

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