Heart muscle death from artery blockage?

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

Answer: (C)

When a coronary artery becomes blocked and the blood supply to a region of the heart is cut off for long enough, the heart muscle in that area dies from lack of oxygen. This tissue death is called a myocardial infarction. It’s the necrosis of cardiac muscle due to ischemia. Symptoms can accompany it, but the defining idea is the death of heart muscle from a blocked artery. Angina pectoris is chest pain from transient ischemia that doesn’t cause tissue death, so it isn’t the correct term for the event. STEMI refers to a specific ECG finding associated with a type of myocardial infarction, usually due to a complete occlusion, but the overarching concept of heart muscle death from blockage is myocardial infarction.