Also called: Also called: MI, Myocardial infarction
Each year over a million people in the U.S. have a heart attack. About half of them die. Many people have permanent heart damage or die because they don't get help immediately. It's important to know the symptoms of a heart attack and call 9-1-1 if someone is having them. Those symptoms include
- Chest discomfort - pressure, squeezing, or pain
- Shortness of breath
- Discomfort in the upper body - arms, shoulder, neck, back
- Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness, sweating
These symptoms can sometimes be different in women.
What exactly is a heart attack? Most heart attacks happen when a clot in the coronary artery blocks the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. Often this leads to an irregular heartbeat – called an arrhythmia - that causes a severe decrease in the pumping function of the heart. A blockage that is not treated within a few hours causes the affected heart muscle to die.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Act in Time to: Heart Attack Signs(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/
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Heart Attack(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/HeartAttack/HeartAttack_WhatIs.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dcisp/Diseases/HeartAttack/HeartAttack_WhatIs.html
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Heart Attack(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/heartattack/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/heartattackspanish/htm/index.htm
- Heart Attack(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200005
- Heart Attack(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/heart-attack/DS00094/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- JAMA Patient Page: Myocardial Infarction(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/4/476.pdf
- Too Few People Know Symptoms of Heart Trouble(09/13/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69254.html
- New Way to Protect Against Heart Damage Explored(09/12/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69208.html
- Heavier People Have Heart Attacks Earlier(09/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69082.html
- More News on Heart Attack http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_h.html#heartattack
- Cardiac Biomarkers(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cardiac_biomarkers/glance.html
- Cardiac MRI(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/mri/mri_whatis.html
- CK-MB Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ckmb/test.html
- Coronary Angiogram and Angioplasty(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplasty/htm/index.htm
- Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/echo/echo_whatis.html
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Echocardiography Stress Test(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiography/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiographyspanish/htm/index.htm
- Ejection Fraction: What Does It Measure?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ejection-fraction/AN00360/METHOD=print
- Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ekg/ekg_what.html
- Myoglobin Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/myoglobin/test.html
- Overview of Nuclear Cardiology(American Society of Nuclear Cardiology) - http://www.asnc.org/section_107.cfm
- Stress Testing(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/stress/stress_whatis.html
- Troponins Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/troponin/test.html
- AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Programs: Questions and Answers(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3011859
- Automated External Defibrillator (AED)(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/treatments/medicaldevices/aed.html
- Cardiac Catheterization(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cath/cath_what.html
- Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/drugs/glycoprotein-iib-iiia-inhibitors/hic_glycoprotein_iib-iiia_inhibitors.aspx
- Heart Attack Treatments(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4601
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JAMA Patient Page: Automated External Defibrillators(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/296/6/724.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/296/6/724/DC1/1
- Modern Treatment for Heart Attacks(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/114/20/e578
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Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA)(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4751
Also available in Spanish http://es.aha.drtango.com/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4751
- What Are Anticoagulants and Antiplatelet Agents?(American Heart Association) - Links to PDF - http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1196965757160AnticoagandAntiplat.pdf
- Your Guide to Coumadin/Warfarin Therapy(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/coumadin.htm
- ABCs of Preventing Heart Disease, Stroke and Heart Attack(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3035374
- Aspirin for Reducing Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke: Know the Facts(Center for Drug Evaluation and Research) - http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/dailyaspirin_brochure.htm
- Coronary Calcium Scans: Heart Scans Mired in Controversy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/heart-disease/HB00015/METHOD=print
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Heart Attack: Warning Signs and Tips on Prevention(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/heartdisease/basics/291.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/heartdisease/basics/291.printerview.html
- hs-CRP (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hscrp/test.html
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MedlinePlus: Heart Diseases--Prevention(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseasesprevention.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/heartdiseasesprevention.html
- Cardiac Rehabilitation(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/rehab/rehab_whatis.html
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Cardiac Rehabilitation(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cardiacrehabilitation/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cardiacrehabilitationspanish/htm/index.htm
- Cardiac Rehabilitation: Building a Better Life After Heart Disease(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/cardiac-rehabilitation/HB00017/METHOD=print
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Heart Attack: Getting Back into Your Life After a Heart Attack(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/heartdisease/recovery/002.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/heartdisease/recovery/002.printerview.html
- Devices That Keep the Heart Beating(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/features/cardiacdevices013008.html
- Cardiogenic Shock(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/shock/shock_what.html
- JAMA Patient Page: Acute Coronary Syndromes(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/300/1/132.pdf
- Broken Heart Syndrome: Is Bad News Bad for Your Heart?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/broken-heart-syndrome/HB00088/METHOD=print
- Can Patients with Cardiovascular Disease Take Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs?(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/117/17/e322
- Depression After a Heart Attack(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/heartdisease/recovery/702.printerview.html
- Dressler's Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dresslers-syndrome/DS00666/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Sexual Activity and Heart Disease or Stroke(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4714
- Updated Labeling for Coumadin (Warfarin)(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/warfarin081707.html
- "Act In Time To Heart Attack Signs" Quiz(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/taha/quiz.htm
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Heart Attack/Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3003499
Also available in Spanish https://www.americanheart.org/risk/locale/sp_US/?_requestid=1378054
- Risk Assessment Tool for Estimating Your 10-Year Risk of Having a Heart Attack(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calculator.asp
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Cardiac Rehabilitation(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cardiacrehabilitation/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/cardiacrehabilitationspanish/htm/index.htm
- Coronary Angiogram and Angioplasty(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplasty/htm/index.htm
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Echocardiography Stress Test(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/echocardiography/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/echocardiographyspanish/htm/index.htm
- Heart Attack(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/heartattack/toc.html
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Heart Attack(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/heartattack/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/heartattackspanish/htm/index.htm
- Cardiac Catheterization with Angioplasty and Stent Placement(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - 6/14/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM-400x300/stm_1994/rnh.cfm?id=573
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Heart Anatomy(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Anatomy/anatomy2.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Anatomy_Esp/anato_sp.cfm
- How the Heart Works(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/hhw/hhw_whatis.html
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Myocardial Infarction(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Myocardial+Infarction%22
- Acute Coronary Events Decreased after Public Smoking Ban in Italy(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053704
- Alcohol's Impact on Heart and Stroke Risk May Differ for Men, Women(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=462
- Coordinated System Means Faster Treatment for Heart Attacks(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3051704
- Drug-Eluting Stents: Do They Increase Heart Attack Risk?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/drug-eluting-stents/HB00090/METHOD=print
- Healthy Vegetable Oils Associated with Reduced Heart Attack Risk, Lower Blood Pressure(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=459
- Heart Attack Patients Who Don't Fill Prescriptions Increase Risk of Dying(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=342
- Heart Attack Prescription Drug Strategy May Save Lives and Reduce Healthcare Costs(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053804
- Inflammation May Explain Why Poor, Uneducated Suffer More CVD(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3051948
- Patch May Prevent Heart Failure after Heart Attack(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=478
- Patients Arriving at Hospitals in Off Hours Get Slower, Less Care(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=399
- Pre-Hospital ECGs Save Critical Time for Heart Attack Patients(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=493
- Researchers Grow Human Blood Vessels in Mice from Adult Progenitor Cells(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=471
- Some Women More Likely to Miss or Ignore Heart Attack Warning Signs(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=409
- Article: Stem cell therapy in myocardial repair and remodeling. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18722949&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Acute myocardial infarction. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18707987&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Prehospital initiation of tirofiban in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18707985&tool=MedlinePlus
- Heart Attack -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=myocardial+infarction[majr]+NOT+(myocardial+infarction/rehabilitation[majr]+OR+myocardial+infarction/pc[majr]+OR+preventive+medicine[majr]+OR+preventive+health+services[majr]+OR+health+promotion[majr]+OR+primary+prevention[majr])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Heart attack prevention -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=preventive+medicine[majr]+OR+preventive+health+services[majr]+OR+health+promotion[majr]+OR+primary+prevention[majr]+AND+myocardial+infarction[majr]+OR+myocardial+infarction/pc[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Heart attack rehabilitation -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=myocardial+infarction[majr]+AND+(rehabilitation[majr]+OR+rehabilitation+centers[mh])+OR+myocardial+infarction/rh[majr]+OR+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+AND+myocardial+infarction/rh[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Cardiac Glossary(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3038158
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Cardiovascular Glossary(Texas Heart Institute) - http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Gloss/
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Gloss_Esp/Glossary_sp.cfm
- Deciphering Heart Disease Medspeak(Medical Library Association) - Links to PDF - http://www.mlanet.org/pdf/heart-disease1.pdf
- American Heart Association - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- Heart Attack and Angina Statistics(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4591
- Heart Attack(Cardiovascular Research Foundation) - http://www.hearthealthywomen.org/index.php?view=article&id=70&Itemid=1&option=com_content
- Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention in Women(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/112/17/e273
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Panic Attack or Heart Attack?(Women's Heart Foundation) - http://www.womensheart.org/content/HeartDisease/panic_attack_or_heart_attack.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.womensheart.org/PDFs/G8_S-CrisisDePanicoOInfarto.pdf
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Women: Warning! It Could Be a Heart Attack!(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/owh/pub/factsheets/heartattack.htm
Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/owh/pub/factsheets/sp-911day.htm
- Heart Attack(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/heartattack/toc.html
- Angina - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/angina.html
- Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/coronaryarterybypasssurgery.html
- Coronary Artery Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/coronaryarterydisease.html
- Heart Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseases.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Heart Attack is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
Heart Attack - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/heartattack.html