Heart muscle death due to artery blockage is called?

• A. Chest Pain
• B. Angina Pectoris
• C. STEMI
• D. Myocardial Infarction

Answer: (D)

The death of heart muscle due to a blocked artery is called a myocardial infarction. This condition happens when a coronary artery becomes occluded and blood flow is cut off long enough that heart tissue undergoes irreversible injury and dies from lack of oxygen. Chest pain or discomfort can accompany it, but those are symptoms, not the tissue death itself. Angina pectoris describes chest pain from reversible ischemia without resulting in tissue death. A STEMI is a specific type of myocardial infarction detected by ST-segment elevation on the ECG, indicating a more complete, transmural infarct, whereas other infarctions may not show that pattern. The key term for heart muscle death from artery blockage is myocardial infarction.