Cardiac Discussion: The Heart of the Matter

Question 1 

Myocardial infarction is a condition that occurs due to a decrease in blood flow or when it stops entirely to a section of the heart resulting in significant damage to its muscles. Commonly known as heart attack, the condition is characterized by severe chest pains or discomfort reported in arms, back, shoulders, neck, or jaw ( Anderson & Morrow, 2017) . An acute coronary syndrome is also a heart disease that occurs when blood flow in the coronary arteries decreases or ceases disrupting normal functioning or death of this part of the organ.

Question 2 

The main distinction between the two conditions is evident in the waveforms observed on an electrocardiogram (ECG). This is also the basis of the differences between the two states in terms of signs and conditions. For instance, the ECG for a STEMI shows a wave with elevated ST, progressing to Q, and complete blockage of a coronary artery ( Prasad, & Raphael, 2019) . On the other hand, for an NSTEMI, the ECG shows a depressing ST wave that is not progressing to Q wave and a coronary artery that is partially blocked.

Question 3 

Patients suffering from ACS experience common cases of atheroma rapture of up to 60 percent or erosion of up to 30 percent, thereby causing the creation of thrombus that blocks the coronary arteries ( Nishiguchi et al., 2016) . MI pathology is relatively more complicated; as it is responsible for the loss of myocardium, which then cripples cardiac function.

Question 4 

Compared to ACS, MI is more common and prevalent, especially in the United States. Its prevalence is attributed to the full range of risk factors. Although they are both complicated conditions of the heart, their diagnosis varies. For instance, ACS is diagnosed through ECG tests, serial cardiac markers, and immediate/delayed angiography ( Nishiguchi et al., 2016) . The diagnosis of MI involves integration of evaluation of history of the condition and physical examination. The examinations incorporate ECG and cardiac markers. The treatment of both illnesses is more similar than they are different. They both involve prehospital care (oxygen, nitrates, triage, aspirin), drugs, and reperfusion therapy. The treatment does to cure the conditions, only manages them.

References

Anderson, J. L., & Morrow, D. A. (2017). Acute myocardial infarction.  New England Journal of Medicine ,  376 (21), 2053-2064. 

Nishiguchi, T., Tanaka, A., Ozaki, Y., Taruya, A., Fukuda, S., Taguchi, H., ... & Akasaka, T. (2016). Prevalence of spontaneous coronary artery dissection in patients with acute coronary syndrome.  European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care ,  5 (3), 263-270. 

Prasad, A., & Raphael, C. (2019). Acute coronary syndrome: STEMI and NSTEMI.  The ESC Handbook on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy , 71.