Esophageal spasm 2. Palpitation and dyspnea 3. It usually results in necrosis of heart muscle. Myocardial infarction is usually characterized by severe chest pain and cardiac arrhythmias terminating in death. The most common cause of myocardial infarction is partial or complete occlusion of one or more coronary arteries by atheriosclerosis, thrombosis or an embolus.
Thrombosis occurs most commonly in a sclerotic vessel with a narrow lumen or a calcified plaque.
When coronary artery collateral circulation is adequate, complete thrombosis of vessel may not produce infarction. Ultimate end-point is tissue hypoxia secondary to a shift in the oxygen perfusion to oxygen uptake ratio. The diagnostically significant Q wave will not be evident in the acute phase of the infarct. A 12 lead EKG is of diagnostic value. Monitor the rhythm, since other EKG findings may have graver significance such as multiple foci PVCs and ventricular fibrillation.