Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction (MI) refers to tissue death (infarction) of the heart muscle (myocardium) caused by ischaemia, that is lack of oxygen delivery to myocardial tissue. It is a type of acute coronary syndrome, which describes a sudden or short-term change in symptoms related to blood flow to the heart. Unlike the other type of acute coronary syndrome, unstable angina, a myocardial infarction occurs when there is cell death, this can be estimated by measuring by a blood test for biomarkers (the cardiac protein troponin). When there is evidence of an MI, it may be classified as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) based on the results of an ECG.