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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
What actually happens during a heart attack?
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF Cardio MD - MTR, Nov 20, 1998 12:00AM
Dear Karen, thank you for your question. Basically, during a heart attack, a clot forms in a coronary artery and blood flow to the heart muscle is obstructed. The heart, like all muscles, is innervated by sensory nerves. When blood flow is cut off and the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, intense chest pain usually results. Cardiac muscle cells rapidly necrose after the cessation of blood flow and irreverisible damage occurs if blood flow isn't rapidly restored with thrombolytic medications or with angioplasty. For more specific information, I suggest that you look at a cardiology textbook that should be available at the closest medical library. Good luck!
