If you have acute coronary syndrome,
you have one or more conditions caused
by a blockage of blood flow to your heart muscle.
This is a medical emergency, because you
may be having a heart attack, a condition in which your heart
muscle begins to die.
Your heart is a muscular organ that
pumps blood containing the oxygen
and nutrients your body needs.
The main pumping chamber of your heart is the left ventricle.
When your left ventricle contracts,
it sends oxygen-rich blood to your body
through a large artery called the aorta.
Connected to your aorta are small arteries
called coronary arteries.
Blood flows from your aorta, through the coronary arteries,
to supply your heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients.
If you have acute coronary syndrome,
blood flow through your coronary arteries
is severely reduced or completely blocked.
One possible cause of reduced blood flow is atherosclerosis.
In this condition, a build-up of a fatty substance
called plaque can narrow your coronary arteries.
If this plaque ruptures, a blood clot
can form and block the artery.
A blood clot is the most common cause
of coronary artery blockage.
Other, less common causes of reduced blood flow
include coronary artery spasm or dissection.
In a coronary artery spasm, triggers
such as drugs, smoking, cold weather, and extreme stress
or emotions can cause a temporary and sudden tightening
of a coronary artery.
During a coronary artery dissection,
the inside wall of one of your coronary arteries
separates, which can block blood flow.
Regardless of the cause, a blockage
in either coronary artery prevents
the oxygen and nutrients in your blood
from reaching the part of your heart supplied by the artery.
As a result, heart muscle in that area starts to die.
Death of part of your heart muscle
is called a heart attack.
It's also known as a myocardial infarction or MI.
A blocked coronary artery may also
cause you to feel sudden pain, discomfort, tightening,
or a burning sensation in your chest called angina.
This pain may extend to your upper abdomen, shoulders, arms,
neck, and lower jaw.
If you have angina when you're at rest,
or frequent angina that prevents even
moderate physical activity, you have unstable angina,
which is the main symptom of acute coronary syndrome.
Other symptoms of acute coronary syndrome
include shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea,
and sweating.
If you've had a heart attack or have
other types of acute coronary syndrome,
your doctor may prescribe oxygen therapy
to get more oxygen into your blood.
You may take aspirin or other prescription blood-thinner
drugs to prevent blood clots.
Thrombolytics also known as clot-buster drugs,
may be used to break up any existing blood clots.
Drugs such as nitroglycerin and morphine
will relax your coronary arteries
and relieve the pain of angina.
You may also receive drugs called beta blockers that
slow down your heart and reduce its need for oxygen.
Your doctor may also recommend immediate surgical procedures,
such as coronary angioplasty, in which a balloon-tipped catheter
inflates inside your blocked coronary artery to open it.
may leave behind a mesh-like device called a stent
After inflating, the balloon catheter may leave behind
a mesh-like device called a stent to hold your artery open.
Or you may have a coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG.
CABG is a surgical procedure in which the blocked
areas of the coronary arteries
are bypassed with veins or artificial graft material.
Seek treatment immediately if you
have the symptoms of acute coronary syndrome.