Every year, tens of
thousands of Americans survive heart attack, go back to work and enjoy a normal
life. You have every reason to be confident of a full recovery. Your heart is
healing and with each passing day you'll get stronger and more active. The
following questions and answers will help you better understand what has
happened to you and how you get started on the road to recovery.
Heart Attack Questions and Answers
Your
heart muscle needs oxygen to survive. A heart attack occurs when the blood flow
that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off
completely (View an animation of blood flow). This happens because coronary arteries that
supply the heart muscle with blood flow can slowly become narrrow
from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances that together are
called plaque. This slow process is known as atherosclerosis . When a plaque in a heart artery breaks, a
blood clot forms around the plaque. This blood clot can block the blood flow
through the heart muscle. When the heart muscle is starved for oxygen and
nutrients, it is called ischemia. When damage or death of part of the heart
muscle occurs as a result of ischemia, it is called a heart attack or
myocardial infarction (MI). About every 34 seconds, someone in the United
States has a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
This
content was last reviewed on 10/20/2012.