Heart Attack (AMI)

If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911.

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is interrupted. Oxygen can’t get to the heart muscle, causing tissue damage or tissue death. A heart attack may be caused by:

• Thickening of the walls of the arteries feeding the heart muscle (coronary arteries)
• Accumulation of fatty plaques in the coronary arteries
• Narrowing of the coronary arteries
• Spasm of the coronary arteries
• Development of a blood clot in the coronary arteries

Symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Anxiety
• Back and shoulder pain
• Confusion
• Fainting
• Loss of consciousness
• Nausea
• Pain in the left shoulder, left arm or jaw
• Shortness of breath
• Squeezing, heavy chest pain
• Stomach pain
• Sweating, clammy skin
• Weakness 

Learn more about the causes and risk factors of heart attack (AMI) or find out how to prevent it.

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