Heart Attack

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) is an extremely dangerous condition that happens because you don’t have enough blood flow to some of your heart muscle. This lack of blood flow can occur because of many different factors but is usually related to a blockage in one or more of your heart’s arteries.

Without blood flow, the affected heart muscle will begin to die. If you don’t get blood flow back quickly, a heart attack can cause permanent heart damage and/or death.

A heart attack is a life-threatening emergency. If you think you or someone you’re with is having a heart attack, call 911 (or your local emergency services phone number). Time is critical in treating a heart attack. A delay of even a few minutes can result in permanent heart damage or death.

What exactly happens during a heart attack?

When a heart attack happens, blood flow to a part of your heart stops or is far below normal, which causes injury or death to that part of your heart muscle. When a part of your heart can’t pump because it’s dying from lack of blood flow, it can disrupt the pumping function of your heart. This can reduce or stop blood flow to the rest of your body, which can be deadly if someone doesn’t correct it quickly.

How common is a heart attack?

Every year, more than 800,000 people in the U.S. have a heart attack. Most heart attacks are due to coronary artery disease, which is the most common cause of death in the United States.