MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION PATHOPHYSIOLOGY (NURSING)

In this video, we are diving into myocardial infarction pathophysiology. Let's do it. What is up? My friend Christina here from nursingschoolofsuccess.com and I am back with you with another pathophysiology video just for you. So today we are talking about the pathophysiology of a myocardial infarction, otherwise known as a heart attack. Now, before we get started, make sure that you're subscribed to this channel and click that little bell icon to get notified when we post a new video. Okay, so I got questions on this all the time from nursing students. What is actually happening during a myocardial infarction? This is a super common disorder that you'll treat on a med surgical floor during your nursing school clinical. So it's really important for you to know about it. So here's a breakdown of what's going on during a myocardial infarction. So a myocardial infarction happens when there is a block in the blood flow to the heart, which is ischemia of the heart. Ischemia just means that there is not enough blood flow. I know ischemia sounds like a big scary word, but it really, that's all it means. It just means that there is a lack of blood flow. And most of the time when you hear the word ischemia, it is referring to ischemia of the heart, but it can also be used for other organs as well. So ischemia just means that the organs or the tissues aren't getting enough blood flow. If this explanation of ischemia making sense to you, write love in the comments below. I want to make sure that I'm explaining all of this in a way that makes sense. So if this is making sense to you, write love in the comments below to let me know. Thank you so much for that. All right, so let's take a look at the heart for a moment. So when you look at the heart, there are a bunch of coronary arteries around it. So all of these big beautiful blood vessels, they're all around the heart and they run in all different directions. And these coronary arteries are, are the vessels that actually provide the heart itself with blood. So as the heart is pumping, there is some blood going to the body and some blood going to these coronary arteries around the heart. So those give the heart blood. Now, most heart attacks are caused when one of these coronary arteries becomes blocked, like when there's a blood clot or if there's fat or plaque buildup inside that blood vessel. This is what happens during coronary artery disease. So that's really the most common cause. But it can also happen during hypertension as well. And of course, there are many other causes that we don't cover here in this video, but I do talk about them in our myocardial infarction video series inside of the nursing SOS membership community. So if you want a deeper dive into the causes, the signs and symptoms, the nursing assessment and the nursing interventions for myocardial infarction, you will definitely, definitely want to join the nursing SOS membership community. I popped that link down below in the description for you. So during coronary artery disease, these coronary arteries actually become blocked with plaque buildup. So there's actually a physical blockage that prevents the blood from getting through those coronary arteries to the heart tissue. So this is what happens during coronary artery disease. The coronary arteries, they, over time build up with plaque, and if enough plaque builds up, it will start to restrict that blood flow so the blood can't get past it to the heart. Now, during hypertension, it's kind of the same scenario, but it can be two different types. Either the blood vessel is getting too full of that plaque that's causing hypertension and that blood can't get through, or the blood vessels are actually so constricted, which leads to hypertension, and that constriction doesn't allow the blood flow to get through. So there are a few different scenarios there. So, as always, I really like to put nursing school pathophysiology topics into simple steps for you to follow. So let's break this down. Now, of course, you won't see these steps anywhere else. I just made them up to make learning those a whole lot easier for you. Because who doesn't love step by step processes, right? That's what we're all about here. So step number one of myocardial infarction is that one or multiple coronary arteries becomes blocked. So for one reason or another, one or more of the little coronary arteries is blocked and blood can't get past. So that's step number two. Blood can't move past that blockage. It's stuck on the other side because it can't move forward through that coronary artery. Now, step number three is ischemia. So like we said before, ischemia just means that there is a lack of blood flow to the tissue, and in this case, it's the heart tissue. So in step number three of myocardial infarction there is ischemia of the heart tissue, meaning that the heart just isn't getting enough blood flow. And if this continues and gets worse, it can lead to necro, which means that the tissue starts to die. So without blood flow, the heart tissue can't keep going, it can't keep pumping. So if that ischemia, that lack of blood flow goes on for too long, it can lead to necrosis, which is where the tissue starts to die. And that, my friend, is the pathophysiology of a myocardial infarction. Step number one, the coronary arteries become blocked. Step number two, the blood can't get past that blockage. Step number three is ischemia. And step number four is necrosis. If that ischemia goes on for too long and blood doesn't return. Now make sure that you download the nursing school med surg checklist that I've got for you. This is a step by step checklist guide to help walk you through nursing school med surge. And how to study. That link is down below in the description for you to check that out. It will change your life, make studying medical, surgical nursing way easier for you. Thank you so for watching this video, friend. Now go become the nurse that God created only you to be. And I will see you right back here next time on the Nursing School show. Take care of.