Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction is a common disease. Patients with acute myocardial infarction should be treated promptly with targeted therapy. If the treatment passes the acute phase, the condition will be stable, and patients can go home for rehabilitation if there are no complications. Patients should take their medication regularly, undergo regular reviews, and be aware of the many adverse symptoms that may occur with acute myocardial infarction. Let's take a look at the clinical manifestations of acute myocardial infarction.

Clinical Manifestations of Acute Myocardial Infarction

More than half of patients with acute myocardial infarction experience prodromal symptoms 1-2 days or 1-2 weeks before the onset of the disease. The most common symptoms include worsening of pre-existing angina, prolonged attack duration, or decreased effectiveness of nitroglycerin; or the sudden onset of prolonged angina in patients who have not previously experienced angina. The typical symptoms of myocardial infarction include sudden onset of severe and persistent crushing pain behind the sternum or in the precordial region, which cannot be relieved by rest or administration of nitroglycerin, often accompanied by agitation, sweating, fear, or a sense of impending death. Arrhythmia is common in 75%-95% of patients and occurs within 1-2 weeks of onset, most commonly within 24 hours. Anterior wall myocardial infarction is prone to ventricular arrhythmia, while inferior wall myocardial infarction is prone to bradycardia and atrioventricular block.

Other Symptoms

1. A few patients have no pain: they may initially manifest as shock or acute heart failure. 2. Some patients experience pain in the upper abdomen, which may be misdiagnosed as acute abdomen such as gastric perforation or acute pancreatitis; a few patients may experience pain in the neck, jaw, throat, and teeth, which may also lead to misdiagnosis. 3. Mental impairment may be seen in elderly patients. 4. Systemic symptoms may include undescribable discomfort and fever. 5. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and bloating are common, especially in patients with inferior wall myocardial infarction. 6. Heart failure, mainly acute left heart failure, can occur within the first few hours of onset or several days after onset, manifesting as dyspnea, cough, cyanosis, irritability, and other symptoms.

Daily Care for Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Patients with acute myocardial infarction who have successfully passed the acute phase of treatment, have stable conditions, and no complications can return home for rehabilitation. (1) Take medication regularly, attend regular follow-up appointments, maintain bowel movements, and adhere to moderate physical exercise. (2) Avoid emotional excitement and excessive fatigue, quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption, and avoid eating too much. Adhering to reasonable and appropriate physical exercise is the main measure for rehabilitation. The goals of rehabilitation therapy are to promote physical recovery, increase collateral circulation of the heart, improve myocardial function, and reduce recurrence and risk factors. It is important to: (a) choose appropriate exercise methods, (b) master the appropriate amount of exercise, and (c) gradually increase the amount of exercise. It is important to emphasize that exercise rehabilitation must be individualized, performed under the guidance of a doctor, and accompanied by family members.