What happens in acute coronary syndrome (ACS)?
ACS ranges from a heart attack (myocardial infarction) to unstable angina.
Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
If you have a heart attack, a coronary artery or one of its smaller branches is suddenly blocked. The part of the heart muscle supplied by this artery loses its blood (and oxygen) supply. This part of the heart muscle is at risk of dying unless the blockage is quickly undone. (The word infarction means death of some tissue due to a blocked artery which stops blood from getting past.) In addition to being known as a heart attack, a myocardial infarction is sometimes called a coronary thrombosis.
Three types of angina:
Stable angina
Unstable angina
Variant angina
Classic angina
Crescendo angina
Prinzmetal angina
Unstable angina
Unstable angina occurs when the blood clot causes a reduced blood flow but not a total blockage. This means that the heart muscle supplied by the affected artery does not die (infarct).