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Acute Coronary Syndrome and Myocardial Infarction

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Emergency Department Critical Care

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Abstract

The human heart begins beating approximately 4–5 weeks after conception. During a typical lifespan, it will send more than 2 billion gallons of blood through a network of blood vessels that, if placed end-on-end, would stretch out over 60,000 miles, enough to circle the Earth twice and still have enough room leftover to connect New York City to Antarctica. Not bad for a muscular pump that beats for more than seven decades, on average, without fatiguing.

Although the heart is amazingly resilient, it is also prone to disease, particularly the intricate network of coronary vessels that can narrow after years of cumulative inflammation and fatty deposits. Here, we will examine the patterns, pathology, and treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and myocardial infarction (MI), with a particular focus on emergency department (ED) management and stabilization. We will discuss evidence-based treatment options and also explore future avenues of research. The authors promise to put their heart into it.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emergency Medicine and Neurosurgery, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA

    Zachary D. Levy

  2. Emergency Medicine and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA

    Qiuping Zhou

Authors
  1. Zachary D. Levy
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  2. Qiuping Zhou
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL, USA

    Joseph R. Shiber

  2. Resuscitation & Emergency Critical Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Scott D. Weingart

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Levy, Z.D., Zhou, Q. (2020). Acute Coronary Syndrome and Myocardial Infarction. In: Shiber, J., Weingart, S. (eds) Emergency Department Critical Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28794-8_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28794-8_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28794-8

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