A Heart Attack, Medically Known as a Myocardial Infarction, is a Deadly Emergency

A heart attack (medically referred to as a myocardial infarction) is a life-threatening medical emergency in which your heart muscle begins to die due to a lack of blood flow. A blockage in the arteries supplying blood to your heart is the most common cause. A heart attack can result in irreversible cardiac damage and death if blood flow is not restored soon.

What is the definition of a heart attack?

A myocardial infarction (often referred to as a heart attack) is a life-threatening disorder caused by a shortage of blood supply to the heart muscle. Blood flow problems can be caused by a variety of things, but the most common reason is a blockage in one or more of your heart's arteries. The afflicted cardiac muscle will begin to die if there is no blood supply. A heart attack can result in irreversible cardiac damage and death if blood flow is not restored soon.
A heart attack is a potentially fatal emergency. Do not hesitate to contact 911 if you or someone you're with is having a heart attack (or your local emergency services phone number). A delay of even a few minutes in the treatment of a heart attack can result in severe cardiac damage or death.

What is the prevalence of heart attacks?

Every year, around 635,000 people in the United States suffer a new heart attack. Every year, almost 300,000 people suffer a second heart attack. Coronary heart disease, which includes heart attacks, is responsible for about one in every seven deaths in the United States.

What happens when a person has a heart attack?

When you have a heart attack, blood supply to a section of your heart ceases or drops significantly, causing that area of your heart muscle to die. When a section of your heart can't pump because it's dying from a lack of blood flow, it might throw off the entire heart's pumping pattern. Blood flow to the rest of your body is reduced or even stopped as a result, which can be fatal if not treated soon.