Acute MI
Alternative names:
heart attack; MI; myocardial infarction
Symptoms:
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:
The person may have no symptoms ("silent attack").
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:
- Seizures
- Fatigue
- Temporarily absent breathing
- Breathing difficulty while lying down
- Low blood pressure
- Unusual or strange behavior
Signs and tests:
Examination often reveals a rapid
pulse. Blood pressure
may be normal, high, or low. Listening to the chest with a
stethoscope (auscultation)
may show crackles in the lungs, heart murmur, or other abnormal
sounds.
The initial test most likely to reveal a heart attack is
an electrocardiogram, or ECG.
The first ECG often suggests
a heart attack, which is confirmed by repeated ECGs
performed over 2 to 3 days. Other tests used in the diagnosis
of heart attack as well as to define the extent of heart damage
are the following:
Evidence of heart damage and factors indicating high risk
for heart attack may show on the following tests:
Heart attack may also alter the results of the following
tests:
Updated Date: 06/22/00
Updated by: David H. Stern, MD Chief Medical
Resident, University of Pennsylvania Hospital, VeriMed Healthcare
Network
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