As a result, that part of the heart muscle dies. This obstruction is caused by a clot and occurs in an artery that previously had an atherosclerotic plaque.
Some people think that every episode of chest pain or angina is a heart attack.
This is not correct because angina is reversible and does not cause death of the heart muscle cells. Some people think that when you have a heart attack your heart stops beating. Although heart attacks can lead to this, the proper term for the heart not beating is cardiac arrest . The chest pain of an MI is similar to that of angina but is usually more severe and lasts longer. Usually it is described as tightness, squeezing, pressure, aching or heaviness.