Introduction Improvement in the acute treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) has made it possible for many patients to survive an initial MI and subsequently be exposed to the risk of recurrent MI and/or of heart failure (HF). The acute ischemic…
Introduction Myocardial infarction (MI) is caused by atherothrombosis (see Chapter 3 ), with platelets playing a pivotal role in the initial onset of MI and its recurrence. Antiplatelet therapy targets this key element in the pathobiology of cardiovascular ischemic events.…
Introduction Evidence-based treatments for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) have improved outcomes, with substantive reductions in mortality rates ( Chapter 2 ). Nevertheless, patients who survive an acute MI remain at increased risk for recurrent MI and death and also…
Introduction The use of sensitive biomarkers has significantly improved the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI), and has been incorporated into the “Universal Definition” of MI (see Chapter 1 ). However, the diagnosis of MI can still be difficult. There is…
Introduction Cardiovascular nuclear medicine imaging techniques are part of the ever-growing clinical noninvasive imaging armamentarium for the evaluation of suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD). These techniques provide valuable information regarding diagnosis and clinical risk, and consequently have established…
Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to Celine Pitre, chief sonographer at the Montreal Heart Institute, for her contribution to the figures and videos, and to Dr François Marcotte for kindly providing the dobutamine stress echocardiography videos. Introduction Echocardiography is a…
Introduction Noninvasive testing after presentation with acute myocardial infarction (MI) plays an essential role in patient management. Noninvasive testing complements clinical assessment of risk stratification and can be used to aid management decisions. The major purposes of testing are measurement…
Introduction Clinical outcomes after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have significantly improved over time. A significant proportion of the reduction in mortality has been the result of development and adoption of potent anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies coupled with invasive risk stratification…
Introduction Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant cardiac arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death (SCD) occurs in 180,000 to 250,000 people annually, mostly in patients with coronary artery disease. Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a vulnerable cardiac pathology that…
Introduction Mortality for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) remains unacceptably high despite improvements in medical therapy and revascularization. Death, when it occurs, is often caused by cardiac dysfunction, which leads to low cardiac output, hypotension, and end-organ failure ( Figure…