Chapter 14

Lecture Notes

A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and we also call this a myocardial infarction, and if you break down that word, an infarct is just dead or dying area of tissue, and so a myocardial infarction is just an area of the heart tissue specifically that is dead or dying. Some of the warning signs for a heart attack include chest discomfort; discomfort in other areas of the upper body, specifically the left arm; shortness of breath; a heart attack could be preceded by a cold sweat; nausea; lightheadedness; sometimes people report just not feeling right. And it's important to note that sometimes women have different symptoms than men, so for example, women are more likely to experience symptoms without chest pain compared to men.