A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction) is the death of heart muscle from the sudden blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. Blockage of a coronary artery deprives the heart muscle of blood and oxygen,causing injury to the heart muscle. Injury to the heart muscle causes chest pain and chest pressure sensation. If blood flow is not restored to the heart muscle within 20 to 40 minutes, irreversible death of the heart muscle will begin to occur. Muscle continues to die for six to eight hours at which time the heart attack usually is "complete." The dead heart muscle is eventually replaced by scar tissue.
Approximately one million Americans suffer a heart attack each year. Four hundred thousand of them die as a result of their heart attack.
Symptoms of a heart attack
Although chest pain or pressure is the most common symptom of a heart attack, heart attack victims may experience a variety of symptoms including:
- Pain, fullness, and/or squeezing sensation of the chest
- Jaw pain, toothache, headache
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea, vomiting, and/or general epigastric (upper middle abdomen) discomfort
- Sweating
- Heartburn and/or indigestion
- Arm pain (more commonly the left arm, but may be either arm)
- Upper back pain
- General malaise (vague feeling of illness)
- No symptoms (Approximately one quarter of all heart attacks are silent, without chest pain or new symptoms. Silent heart attacks are especially common among patients with diabetes mellitus.)
Nursing Diagnosis Nursing Care Plan for Myocardial Infarction
- Acute Pain related to ischemic tissue, secondary to clogged arteries.
- Decreased Cardiac Output related to changes in power factors, reduction miocard characteristics.
- Activity Intolerance related to the imbalance between oxygen supply and demand miocard, the ischemic / necrotic tissue miocard.
- Imbalanced Nutrition: Less than Body Requirements related to decreased renal perfusion, increased sodium / water retention, increased hydrostatic pressure, decreased plasma proteins.
- Ineffective Tissue Perfusion related to ischemic heart muscle damage, narrowing / blockage of coronary arteries.
- Anxiety related to actual threats to biological integrity.
- Ineffective Coping
- Ineffective Sexuality Patterns
