A Heart Attack - what it is

There are still many people around who are unclear and confused of what a Heart Attack is. Sometimes called a Cardiac Arrest, I will now try to explain it briefly in my own words.

The Heart pumps blood. Like all organs in the human body, it requires a steady supply of oxygen to function efficiently. The muscles of the heart are constantly fed with a rich supply of blood via the coronary arteries. These arteries can get blocked when it is “starved” of oxygen. And the blockage is normally the build up plagues of different sizes. These plague deposits consisting of fatty matter, calcium, proteins and inflammatory cells are soft in the inside but hard on the outside, the shell. When these shells crack, which means the plague rupture, platelets in the blood are drawn to the area and blood clots are formed. The formation of such clots can block the arteries; subsequently oxygen is unable to reach the muscle tissues. The tissue cells die as a result, thus causing permanent damage. This is a HEART ATTACK.