Myocardial Infarction Research

Myocardial infarction (MI) - more commonly referred to as a heart attack - is an acute event caused by the interruption of blood supply to regions of the heart, leading to myocardial necrosis. Infarction of a substantial area of the myocardium can disrupt normal conductance of the heart, leading to cardiac arrest.In the majority of cases, an MI is immediately preceded by the presence of an occlusive thrombus within a coronary artery, blocking blood flow to the downstream tissue. The most common cause of an occlusive thrombus within a coronary artery is the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque. However, the occlusion of a coronary artery may also result from coronary embolism. This can occur in patients following stent placement, angioplasty, and coronary artery bypass grafting.