“Does part of your heart die after a heart attack?”
I am a 55 year old female. I want to know if part of your heart dies after a heart attack?
6 Answers
If the heart attack is massive then part of the heart may die. If the heart attack is mild the heart may recover fully.
In big heart attack Q wave infarct, yes, part of heart muscle is dead. In non-Q infarct, the muscles survive; only the subendocardial is damaged and the heart will revive.
Thanks for this very important question! What happens to the heart after a heart attack? Does part of the heart die?
Terminology:
-Heart attack
-Myocardial infarction
-A coronary
-Angina
All point to poor blood supply to the heart. The heart is a pump. Without fuel (BLOOD supply) it can stop! Cardiac arrest! Then the whole body stops working! When a small part of the heart's blood supply is blocked, that part of the heart might die and become scar tissue, provided it does not cause additional problems with heart functioning! It is very complicated! Never try to sort this out by yourself! If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911. Please don’t drive yourself! Get to a hospital. They have the expertise to sort this out! If you get there in time, the blocked arteries can be cleared before the heart muscle dies.
You did not ask about STROKE, brain infarction/attack, but the same is true! Call 911! No time for self diagnosis!! These are for the experts! Don’t waste time!
Something not right? Don’t try to figure it out Call the expert - 911.
Hope this helps.
Irwin M. Best, MD, MBA,FACS
Terminology:
-Heart attack
-Myocardial infarction
-A coronary
-Angina
All point to poor blood supply to the heart. The heart is a pump. Without fuel (BLOOD supply) it can stop! Cardiac arrest! Then the whole body stops working! When a small part of the heart's blood supply is blocked, that part of the heart might die and become scar tissue, provided it does not cause additional problems with heart functioning! It is very complicated! Never try to sort this out by yourself! If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911. Please don’t drive yourself! Get to a hospital. They have the expertise to sort this out! If you get there in time, the blocked arteries can be cleared before the heart muscle dies.
You did not ask about STROKE, brain infarction/attack, but the same is true! Call 911! No time for self diagnosis!! These are for the experts! Don’t waste time!
Something not right? Don’t try to figure it out Call the expert - 911.
Hope this helps.
Irwin M. Best, MD, MBA,FACS
Yes, but usually a small part. Like car damage - can be a fender bender, a scratch, or totaled. Measured by Troponin in the blood test.
Yes, it does. It will not regenerate new heart muscle either to replace the one that died.
Hello.
Heart attack is myocardial infarction in scientific term. “Infarction“ is by definition “local tissue death”, which happens due to stopped blood flow in one of the heart arteries supplying blood (and therefore) oxygen to that tissue area. Depending on location and caliber of the artery blocked, damaged/dead tissue area can be very small or very large. That defines the effect on heart function and changes in electrocardiogram during and after heart attack. Hope this answers your question.
Be well and healthy!
Natalie Marks
Heart attack is myocardial infarction in scientific term. “Infarction“ is by definition “local tissue death”, which happens due to stopped blood flow in one of the heart arteries supplying blood (and therefore) oxygen to that tissue area. Depending on location and caliber of the artery blocked, damaged/dead tissue area can be very small or very large. That defines the effect on heart function and changes in electrocardiogram during and after heart attack. Hope this answers your question.
Be well and healthy!
Natalie Marks
