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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

A heart attack usually occurs when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood through a coronary artery — a blood vessel that feeds blood to a part of the heart muscle. Interrupted blood flow to your heart can damage or destroy a part of the heart muscle.

A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, can be fatal. This is often because people confuse their symptoms with a minor illness, like indigestion, and delay going to the hospital. They try to tough out their symptoms and receive treatment too late. Treatment for heart attack has improved dramatically over the years. It is crucial to promptly recognize symptoms and call 911 or emergency medical help if you think you might be having a heart attack.

Your overall lifestyle — what you eat, how often you exercise and the way you deal with stress — plays a role in your recovery from a heart attack. In addition, a healthy lifestyle can help you prevent a heart attack by controlling risk factors that contribute to the narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply blood to your heart.

Symptoms
References
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  2. Hefland M, et al. Emerging risk factors for coronary heart disease: A summary of systematic reviews conducted for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2009;151:496.
  3. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Using nontraditional risk factors in coronary heart disease risk assessment: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2009;151:474.
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  7. Wright RS, et al. 2011 ACCF/AHA focused update incorporated into the ACC/AHA 2007 guidelines for the management of patients with unstable angina/non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2011;57:215.
  8. Antman EM, et al. Use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs: An update for clinicians. Circulation. 2007;115:1634.
  9. Pignone M, et al. Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes. Circulation. 2010;121:2694.
  10. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2009;150:396.
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  14. Rind DM, et al. Intensity of lipid lowering therapy in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 12, 2011.
  15. How will I recover from my heart attack? American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ ucm_304573.pdf. Accessed July 12, 2011.
  16. Alcoholic beverages and cardiovascular disease. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Alcohol-Wine-and-Cardiovascular-Disease_UCM_305864_Article.jsp. Accessed July 12, 2011.
  17. Lightwood JM, et al. Declines in acute myocardial infarction after smoke-free laws and individual risk attributable to secondhand smoke. Circulation. 2009;120:1373.
  18. Field JM, et al. Part 1: Executive summary - 2010 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation. 2010;122(suppl):S640.
  19. CardioGen-82 PET Scan: Drug safety communication - Increased radiation exposure. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm263157.htm. Accessed July 20, 2011.
DS00094 Nov. 17, 2011

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

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