Acute coronary syndrome

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is chest pain and other symptoms (such as shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, sweating) that happen because the heart does not get enough blood. The coronary arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. If these arteries are narrowed or blocked, the heart does not get enough oxygen. This can cause angina or a heart attack. 

• Unstable angina (UA) is chest pain from lack of blood flow due to partial blockage of an artery, but there is usually little or no damage to the heart muscle.
• A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction (MI)) means a coronary artery has been blocked and the heart has been damaged. Without blood flow and oxygen, part of the heart starts to die.
  • A STEMI heart attack is usually diagnosed when a blood clot completely blocks the coronary artery. ECG and blood tests confirm heart muscle damage.
  • An NSTEMI heart attack is diagnosed when a blood clot substantially blocks the coronary artery. Blood tests confirm heart muscle damage, but ECG is negative.

Any type of acute coronary syndrome is very serious and requires urgent medical attention.

Treatments include invasive procedures such as PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), where a balloon and/or stent is inserted to open a blocked artery, or open heart surgery, also referred to as CABG (coronary artery bypass graft), where blood flow is rerouted through a grafting of a new artery from elsewhere in the body onto the heart muscle. Some patients will be treated with medication alone to help keep arteries in their heart open.