Myocardial Ischemia and Infarction
First Things First (assess for & treat the following)
First Things First (assess for & treat the following)
First Things First (assess for & treat the following)
- Is pt hemodynamically stable?
- Is pt continuing to have ischemia symptoms?
- Are high-risk features present (see below)?
- Does ECG show ST segment elevation or LBBB?
- Are there contraindications to thrombolytic therapy (if indicated)?
- Clinical syndromes
- Chronic stable angina: fixed & stable coronary stenosis w/ absence of ischemia at rest, w/ ischemia provoked by normal physical states that increase myocardial metabolic demand (eg, physical exertion, emotional stress, post-prandial)
- Unstable angina: broad category of self-limited ischemia in the absence of myocardial damage, as defined by an absence of serum cardiac enzyme elevation
- Coronary plaque rupture w/ accumulation of intracoronary platelets & formation of transiently obstructing thrombus
- Angina at rest, may be nocturnal
- May follow recent history of MI
- Represents the highest-risk group of pts w/ unstable angina
- Previously stable coronary stenosis that slowly worsens due to progressive narrowing
- Restenosis in the months following angioplasty is most common cause.
- Gradually worsening exertional angina
- Fixed & stable coronary stenosis w/ ischemia provoked by abnormal physical states that increase myocardial metabolic demand (eg, anemia, fever, tachyarrhythmia, hypotension, hyperthyroidism, cocaine use)
- Symptoms abate as underlying disease process is corrected.
- Coronary vasospasm
- MI: resulting in death of muscle tissue & abnormal elevation of serum cardiac enzymes
- Non-ST-segment-elevation MI (NSTEMI)
- Infarction w/out elevation of ST segment on ECG
- May result from occlusive thrombus, coronary vasospasm or fixed stenosis in the face of overwhelming myocardial oxygen demand or low oxygen delivery (supply-demand mismatch)
- ST-segment-elevation MI (STEMI)
- Infarction w/ elevation of ST segment in the ECG leads localized to the region of infarcting myocardium
- Persistent coronary occlusion results in significant myocardial necrosis.
- Acute coronary syndrome: defined as spectrum of the above clinical syndromes that arise from coronary plaque rupture & intracoronary thrombus formation (unstable angina, NSTEMI, STEMI)
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