Conditions and symptoms
What Is a Myocardial Infarction? Heart Attack Explained
Myocardial infarction · say it: my-oh-KAR-dee-ul in-FARK-shunAlso written: heart attack, MI, acute myocardial infarction, STEMI, NSTEMI
Short answer
Myocardial infarction is the medical name for a heart attack: part of the heart muscle is damaged because its blood supply is blocked.
What it means
A myocardial infarction (MI) is a heart attack. It happens when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked, usually by a clot in a narrowed coronary artery, and that part of the muscle is damaged. Common signs are chest pain or pressure that may spread to the arm, jaw or back, breathlessness, sweating and nausea. It is an emergency: anyone with possible heart attack symptoms needs urgent medical help straight away.
Labels mention myocardial infarction in two ways. Some medicines, such as NSAIDs and some hormone treatments, carry warnings that they can raise the risk of heart attack. Others, such as aspirin, statins and beta-blockers, are prescribed to lower the risk of another MI. On reports, MI appears in medical histories, ECG reports and discharge summaries.
A heart attack is different from cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly stops pumping, though a heart attack can lead to one. It is also different from angina, which is chest pain from reduced blood flow without lasting muscle damage.
Where you may see it
- Boxed warnings on NSAID labels ('cardiovascular thrombotic events')
- Discharge summaries and cardiology letters
- ECG and troponin reports
📄 How it looks on a report
Past medical history: Myocardial infarction (2019), treated with stent.
🙅 What it does not mean
- Chest pain does not always mean a heart attack, but it should always be taken seriously.
- A heart attack is not the same as the heart stopping (cardiac arrest).
- A warning on a label does not mean the medicine will cause a heart attack for you; it describes a raised risk in some people.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Myocardial infarction”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Amitriptyline
An antidepressant of the tricyclic type
- Amlodipine
a calcium channel blocker, a type of medicine that relaxes blood vessels
- Atenolol
a beta-blocker (beta-adrenergic blocker). The label describes it as a beta 1-selective, or cardioselective, blocking agent.
- Atorvastatin
a statin, a cholesterol-lowering medicine of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor type
- Bisoprolol Fumarate
a beta-blocker, which the label describes as a synthetic, beta 1-selective (cardioselective) adrenoceptor blocking agent
- Carvedilol
A beta-blocker. The FDA lists it as both an alpha-adrenergic blocker and a beta-adrenergic blocker.
- Citalopram
a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a type of antidepressant medicine
- Clopidogrel
A platelet inhibitor of the P2Y12 type (a thienopyridine). It is a blood thinner that keeps platelets from sticking together.
- Dexamethasone
A corticosteroid, a synthetic adrenocortical steroid medicine that lowers inflammation and suppresses the immune system
- Diclofenac Sodium
A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The FDA class is not listed on the label.
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Myocardial infarction” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
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