NCLEXÂ Practice Question # 887.
123
nclex examination
Myocardial Infarction
Description
- MI occurs when myocardial tissue is abruptly and severely deprived of oxygen.
- Ischemia can lead to necrosis of myocardial tissue if blood flow is not restored.
- Infarction does not occur instantly but evolves over several hours.
- Obvious physical changes do not occur in the heart until 6 hours after the infarction, when the infracted area appears blue and swollen.
- After 48 hours, the infarct turns gray, with yellow streaks developing as neutrophils invade the tissue.
- By 8 to 10 days after infarction, granulation tissue forms.
- Over 2 to 3 months, the necrotic area develops into a scar; scar tissue permanently changes the size and shape of the ventricle.
- Not all clients experience the classic symptoms of an MI.
- Women may experience atypical discomfort, shortness of breath, or fatigue and often present with non–STelevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) or T-wave inversion.
- An older client may experience shortness of breath, pulmonary edema, dizziness, altered mental status, or a dysrhythmia.
Location of MI (Myocardial Infarction)
- Obstruction of the LAD artery results in anterior wall or septal MI, or both.
- Obstruction of the circumflex artery results in posterior wall MI or lateral wall MI.
- Obstruction of the right coronary artery results in inferior wall MI.
