The 60-Second Summary
Myocardial infarction, also known as a “heart attack,” occurs when the heart fails to receive adequate oxygen as a result of an occlusion in the coronary arteries
Common causes: Atherosclerosis (hardening/narrowing of vasculature) combined with plague accumulation
Presentation: Shortness of breath and chest pain that possibly radiates to back, neck, or shoulders. Skin may be cool, diaphoretic, and appear with pallor. Lungs are clear upon auscultation as it’s a vasculature issue, not respiratory
Confirmation: EKG is used to distinguish MI from other pathologies and determine the location of the occlusion. Cardiac catheterization provides definitive data on location of occlusion and can also be used as a treatment by using angioplasty (balloon and stent)
Treatment: MONA (morphine, oxygen, nitroglycerin, and aspirin), cardiac catheterization to verify location of occlusion with angioplasty to relive occlusion, and possibly coronary artery bypass graphing (CABG) surgery
Goals of treatment: Minimize damage to the heart muscle and subsequent disability/death, prevent cardiac arrest. Get patient into cardiac catheterization lab within 30-60 minutes after admission
Facility goals: Initiate MONA therapy as soon as possible. The first EKG should be performed within 10 minutes of arrival and patient must be prepped and in the cardiac catheterization lab within 30-60 minutes after admission!
Nursing diagnoses: Impaired tissue profusion, acute pain, anxiety, activity intoleranc