Heart Attack (AMI)
If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911.
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is interrupted. Oxygen can’t get to the heart muscle, causing tissue damage or tissue death. A heart attack may be caused by:
- Thickening of the walls of the arteries feeding the heart muscle (coronary arteries)
- Accumulation of fatty plaques in the coronary arteries
- Narrowing of the coronary arteries
- Spasm of the coronary arteries
- Development of a blood clot in the coronary arteries
Symptoms of a heart attack include:
- Anxiety
- Back and shoulder pain
- Confusion
- Fainting
- Loss of consciousness
- Nausea
- Pain in the left shoulder, left arm or jaw
- Shortness of breath
- Squeezing, heavy chest pain
- Stomach pain
- Sweating, clammy skin
- Weakness
Learn more about the causes and risk factors of heart attack (AMI) or find out how to prevent it.
Copyright © 2009 EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.
