Heart Attack (Print Version)

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Heart Attack

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartattack.html

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

Start Here

Act in Time to: Heart Attack Signs(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/
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
Heart Attack(Patient Education Institute) - 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

Overviews

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) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/4/476.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/299/4/476/DC1/1

Latest News

All Blood Pressure Drugs Lower Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke(05/07/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83958.html
Irregular Heartbeat during Angioplasty Could Raise Death Risk(05/05/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83838.html
Telling Heartburn from Heart Attack Can Be Tricky(05/05/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83834.html
Act Fast during Heart Attacks(03/17/2009, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HeartAttacks/
Task Force Recommends Using Aspirin to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease When the Benefits Outweigh the Harms(03/16/2009, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2009/aspcvdpr.htm
More News on Heart Attack http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_h.html#heartattack

Diagnosis/Symptoms

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 (Creatine Kinease)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ck/test.html
CK-MB Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ckmb/test.html
Coronary Angiography and Possible Angioplasty(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplasty/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplastyspanish/htm/index.htm
Echocardiography(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/echo/echo_whatis.html
Echocardiography Stress Test(Patient Education Institute) - 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
Heart Attack, Stroke & Cardiac Arrest Warning Signs(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053
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

Treatment

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
Heart Attack Treatments(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4601
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
MedlinePlus: Blood Thinners(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodthinners.html
Modern Treatment for Heart Attacks(American Heart Association) - http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/114/20/e578
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

Prevention/Screening

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
Heart Scan (Coronary Calcium Scan)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-scan/MY00327/METHOD=print
hs-CRP (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein)(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hscrp/test.html
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
Talk with Your Doctor about Taking Aspirin Every Day(Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) - http://healthfinder.gov/prevention/ViewTopic.aspx?topicID=10&areaID=4

Rehabilitation/Recovery

Cardiac Rehabilitation(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/rehab/rehab_whatis.html
Cardiac Rehabilitation(Patient Education Institute) - 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

Disease Management

Devices That Keep the Heart Beating(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/features/cardiacdevices013008.html

Specific Conditions

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
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/298/7/828/DC1/1

Related Issues

Broken Heart Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/broken-heart-syndrome/DS01135/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
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/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
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
Sexual Activity and Heart Disease or Stroke(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4714

Health Check Tools

"Act In Time To Heart Attack Signs" Quiz(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/actintime/taha/quiz.htm
Heart Attack/Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3003499
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

Tutorials

Cardiac Rehabilitation(Patient Education Institute) - 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 Angiography and Possible Angioplasty(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplasty/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/coronaryangiographyandpossibleangioplastyspanish/htm/index.htm
Echocardiography Stress Test(Patient Education Institute) - 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
Heart Attack(Patient Education Institute) - 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

Videos

Cardiac Catheterization with Angioplasty and Stent Placement(OR-Live) - One hour program - 6/14/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM-400x300/stm_1994/rnh.cfm?id=573
If I Had - Chest Pain(Insidermedicine) - http://www.insidermedicine.com/archives/If_I_Had_-_Chest_Pain_-_Dr_Paul_Malik_MD_1734.aspx?p=mdlnp

Anatomy/Physiology

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

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Myocardial Infarction(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Myocardial+Infarction%22

Research

"Western" Diet Increases Heart Attack Risk Globally(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=552
Acute Coronary Events Decreased after Public Smoking Ban in Italy(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053704
AHA Emergency Medical Services Survey Uncovers Deficiencies in Response, Treatment and Transfer of Patients with Heart Attacks(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=677
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
Exercise Helps Vessels After Heart Attack, But Benefits Vanish When Work-Outs Stop(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=695
Factors Associated with Differences in Outcomes of Black and White Patients After Heart Attack(American College of Physicians) - Links to PDF - http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/150/5/I-42.pdf
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 and Stroke Death Rates Down, Some Risk Factors Still Too High(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=626
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
Less Severe First Heart Attacks Linked to Heart Disease Death Reductions(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=645
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
Statin Reduces Heart Attack, Stroke Rates in Patients with Normal Cholesterol but Elevated C-Reactive Protein(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=579
Study Finds Timing Is Everything for Some Heart Attack Patients(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=586
Traffic Exposure May Have a Triggering Effect on Heart Attack(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=690

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Clopidogrel in acute coronary syndromes. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19366756&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Interaction between cigarette smoking and clinical benefit of clopidogrel. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19358940&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Tissue characterization of acute myocardial infarction and myocarditis by cardiac... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19356496&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

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Cardiac Glossary(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3038158
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

Directories

Find an Accredited Echocardiography Laboratory or Vascular Laboratory(American Society of Echocardiography) - http://www.asecho.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3333

Organizations

American Heart Association - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Statistics

Heart Attack and Angina Statistics(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4591

MedlinePlus Magazine

Brave Heart - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter09/articles/winter09pg26.html
Heart Disease: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter09/articles/winter09pg25-27.html
Learn the Truth About Your Heart - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter09/articles/winter09pg23.html

Women

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
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

Seniors

Heart Attack(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/heartattack/toc.html

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

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

Date last updated: May 11 2009

Topic last reviewed: January 05 2009