Myocardial infarction Definition: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), commonly known as a heart attack, is a serious, sudden heart condition characterized by varying degrees of chest pain or discomfort, weakness, sweating, nausea, and vomiting, sometimes causing loss of consciousness. It occurs when a part of the heart muscle dies because of sudden total interruption of blood flow to that area. The medical term myocardial infarction comes from "myo" referring to muscle, "cardium" referring to the heart (myocardium is the heart muscle) and "infarction" meaning tissue death, in this case caused by an obstruction of blood flow. (The phrase "heart attack" is occasionally used to refer to heart problems other than a myocardial infarction, such as unstable angina pectoris.)
|
