STEMI is one of three conditions that fall under ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome) , a disease that happens because of limited or no blood flow to a part of your heart.
ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a type of heart attack that is more serious and has a greater risk of serious complications and death. It gets its name from how it mainly affects the heart’s lower chambers and changes how electrical current travels through them.
Why is it called a STEMI?
Myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack. An infarction is a blockage of blood flow to the myocardium, the heart muscle. That blockage causes the heart muscle to die.
STEMI is a myocardial infarction that causes a distinct pattern on an electrocardiogram – ECG- is a simple, non-invasive test that records the electrical activity of the heart. That activity is then displayed as a wave pattern on a paper readout or a digital display. The different parts of the wave are labeled using letters, starting at P and ending at U.
To best understand ST-elevation, it helps to know about two specific wave sections:
*QRS complex: This is the large peak that appears on a heart wave. The ventricles cause this wave when they pump blood out of your heart.
*ST-segment: This is a short section immediately after the QRS complex. Normally, there shouldn’t be any electrical activity in that segment, causing it to be flat and back to baseline.
What happens before and during a STEMI heart attack?
Blockages in the arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle are what cause most heart attacks. Usually, the blockage happens because plaque, a fatty, waxy buildup accumulates on the inside of your arteries. A blood clot can form on the plaque deposits, rapidly closing the artery and interrupting blood flow to the heart muscle.
Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of mortality in our country as it leads to 61 deaths per 100,000 of population. The overall prevalence of coronary artery disease in KSA is 5.5%
Any patient with chest pain in the PSCCQ - QAPAS scope of service and the STEMI diagnosed through ECG ,with appropriate physical and medical patient assessment and the healthcare professionals decide the eligibility for reperfusion.
He should send the ECG and other required documents in PSCCQ PCI WHATSAPP (0580359775) and immediately direct contact PSCCQ PCI HOTLINE (0580359775) and he will follow the QAPAS form.
Typical chest pain: Pain is :
Atypical presentation:
Cardiac Causes:
•Anxiety
Pulmonary Causes:
ECG fINdings - STEMI:
ST-segment elevation (at the J point) as follows:
and/or