In a heart attack (myocardial infarction) one part of the heart is suddenly not sufficiently supplied with oxygen anymore, which can lead to a permanent damage of the heart muscle tissue. A myocardial infarction (the word myocard is of Greek origin and means “heart muscle”, the word infarction is from the Latin for “crammed in”) is most commonly caused by a small blood clot that has blocked one or several of the blood vessels of the heart. Typical symptoms of a heart attack include sudden severe chest pain, which often radiates to the left arm, the upper abdomen and the lower jaw, nausea, circulatory problems and possibly collapse, anxiety and breathlessness. But other, less typical symptoms like abdominal or back pain can also be signs of a heart attack.
