Complications of myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction is a very dangerous heart disease that can be life-threatening at any time. Generally, myocardial infarction often occurs in the elderly. As long as the elderly feel heart failure or abnormal heartbeat, especially those with high blood pressure, they should be more careful about myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction is often accompanied by some complications, all of which are related to the human heart, so do not take them lightly.

Complications of myocardial infarction:

1. Heart rupture

It often occurs within 1 to 2 weeks after myocardial infarction, and is more common in the lower 1/3 of the anterior wall of the left ventricle. The reason is that the infarct focus loses its elasticity, myocardial necrosis, and enzymatic dissolution caused by the release of hydrolases by neutrophils and monocytes leads to rupture of the heart wall, and the blood in the ventricles enters the pericardium, causing pericardial tamponade and sudden death.

2. Ventricular aneurysm

It can occur in the early stage of myocardial infarction or in the healing stage when the infarct focus has become fibrotic. The infarcted myocardium or scar tissue bulges outward in a limited manner under the action of intraventricular pressure, forming a ventricular aneurysm. Ventricular aneurysm may be followed by mural thrombus, arrhythmia and heart failure.

3. Mural thrombosis

More common in the left ventricle. Thrombosis is induced due to the roughness of the intimal membrane in the infarct area and the occurrence of vortexes in the ventricular aneurysm. Thrombi may become organized, and a few thrombi may break off due to cardiac contraction and cause embolism in the arterial system.

4. Arrhythmia

It often occurs in the early stage of the disease, but may also occur within 1 to 2 weeks of onset. Ventricular premature beats are the most common, and ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation may occur, leading to cardiac arrest and sudden death. Slow arrhythmias such as bradycardia and atrioventricular block are common in patients with inferior wall infarction in the early stages of the disease. Most of them can be recovered, but a few require permanent pacemaker treatment.

5. Heart failure and cardiogenic shock

It can be seen in the early stage of the disease or several days after onset. Please see the clinical manifestations section for details.

6. Post-myocardial infarction syndrome

It usually occurs within 2 to 3 weeks or several months after acute myocardial infarction, manifesting as pericarditis, pleurisy, or pneumonia, with symptoms such as fever and chest pain. It may occur repeatedly and may be an allergic reaction of the body to its own antigens formed by myocardial necrosis.

Myocardial infarction is myocardial necrosis caused by acute and persistent ischemia and hypoxia of the coronary arteries. This disease is most common in Europe and the United States, with approximately 1.5 million people suffering from myocardial infarction each year in the United States. China has shown a clear upward trend in recent years, with at least 500,000 new cases each year and at least 2 million current patients.