Infarction of the right ventricle is now known to be a common clinical event, occurring in one-third of patients with inferior myocardial infarction (MI). Right ventricular (RV) infarction confers a worse prognosis in patients with inferior wall MI. Because of…
Myocardial infarction (MI) describes the process of myocardial cell death caused by ischemia or the imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply via the coronary arteries and demand. In the United States each year, an estimated 1.1 million people experience an acute…
The acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina, myocardial infarction [MI], sudden cardiac death) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. MI alone is the major cause of death in most Western countries. The rapidly increasing prevalence in…
A clear understanding of the physiologic control of coronary blood flow is essential to considering and treating the underlying pathophysiology in patients who are acutely ill with an acute myocardial infarction (MI) in a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) or…
In the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU), the ubiquitous presence of advanced technology and highly sensitive laboratory assessments/testing has resulted in an overreliance on imaging and testing at the expense of the skills required to examine critically ill patients. Yet,…