Myocardial Infection

Introduction

Myocardial infection is a condition where the blood flow to specific parts of the heart stops or even drastically slows down. The condition is caused by a blood clot, which prevents or reduces the flow of blood to the heart muscles (Storm, Ford & Streit, 2013). When the condition occurs, there is always extensive damage to the heart muscles. Myocardial infection affects the left side of the heart or even the center of the chest area due to the prolonged inadequate supply of oxygen. The Symptoms of myocardial infection include pain in the neck, chest, arms, as well as fatigue, and abnormal anxiety and heartbeat. Therefore, it is vital for the patient to receive treatment as soon as possible to prevent or minimize damage to the heart muscles.

Etiology and Risk Factors

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of myocardial infection is. The conditions associated with causing the disorders include stable and unstable angina (Anne et al., 2015). Apart from creating other conditions, coronary heart diseases contribute primarily to incidences of heart failure. The primary risk factor associated with myocardial infection is high blood pressure. Such a situation stretches the heart muscles making them fail to lead to a heart attack. Besides, habits as excessive smoking are a significant risk factor that causes extreme damage to the lungs and heart. Other significant risk factors include high-level cholesterol in the blood, lack of adequate exercise, diabetes, and obesity contribute to the condition.

Pathophysiological Process

The presence of atherosclerosis together with the exposure to other risk factors such as smoking contributes to heart diseases (Garganeeva et al., 2015). Heart diseases cause inflammation of the arteries within the body. The increased inflammation in the arterial walls ends up causing a build-up of fatty and fibrous fragments along the artery walls. With the swollen arteries, incidences of physical trauma or even further inflammation may lead to arterial lesion rapture, leading to conditions of heart attacks or failure. Coronary atherosclerosis always forms the primary basis for a myocardial infection to take place. Myocardial infection can lead to death due to the inability of the heart to perform optimally.

Clinical Manifestations and Complications

When a patient suffers from myocardial infections, specific signs and symptoms will be present. For instance, the patient will experience moderate to severe pain in the chest area, shoulder, left arm, and even the upper part of the abdomen (Storm, Ford & Streit, 2013). Besides, the patient might experience fatigue and dizziness or even cold sweating. Other common clinical complications would include constant chest problems resulting from the pain and even difficulty in breathing. The patients may also experience anxiety and even palpitations in the process.

Diagnostics

For patients suffering from acute myocardial infections, the medical experts will mainly look out for the symptoms that are akin to ischemia. An abrupt and visible change in the motion of the walls of the heart could be a significant indicator of the condition (Storm, Ford & Streit, 2013). The difference may be caused by the lack of blood flow within that specific part of the heart. In addition, medical personnel may monitor any changes in the electrocardiogram, which may include Q-waves or even left bundle branch block in the center. The other significant means of diagnosing myocardial infections is to find out the presence of an activity relating to a thrombus of the angiogram.