Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS)

Definition

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is a disease that describes the various conditions such as  non-Q-wave myocardial infarction, and Q-wave myocardial infarction. It may be caused by coronary vessel obstruction and thrombotic occlusions from rupture or erosion of plaque. It may be occur higher in males who are younger than age 70. But mortality after a myocardial infarction is significantly higher among women than men up to age 75. Because various prescribers tend to overlook signs and symptoms of ACS in women for all ages because of the perceived cardioprotective effect of estrogen.

Causes of Acute coronary syndromes (ACS)

The main cause of ACS is due to atherosclerotic plaque disease. But coronary artery vasospasm is a less common cause. The most common cause of unstable angina is coronary artery disease that may be occur due to atherosclerosis. In which fatty, fibrous plaques progressively narrow the coronary artery lumina, and reducing the volume of blood that may flow through them and may also lead to myocardial ischemia. If the atherosclerosis is severe, then iuminal narrowing is accompanied by vascular changes that constrict the blood vessel and may also impair blood flow. Because it may causes a precarious balance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand, threatening the myocardium beyond the lesion. Transient ischemia causes reversible changes at the cellular and tissue levels, depressing myocardial function. Untreated, this can lead to tissue injury or necrosis. Various causes of this disease include:

• Obesity
• Excessive intake of saturated fats
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Aging
• Stress or type A personality
• Drug use, especially cocaine and amphetamines.
• Hypertension
• Smoking
• Positive family history

Because it may results from occlusion of one or more of the coronary arteries. Occlusion can stem from atherosclerosis thrombosis, platelet aggregation, or coronary artery stenosis or spasm.

Symptoms of Acute coronary syndromes (ACS)

The symptoms of ACS may be occur due to myocardial ischemia. Because it underlying of which is an imbalance between supply and demand of myocardial oxygenation. Angina is a symptom of myocardial ischemia and it is usually described as

• A sensation of the pressure
• Tightness, or heaviness that's may be produced by activities that increase myocardial oxygen demand.

Some patients will present with such as

• Neck
• Jaw
• Arm, or epigastric pain.

Others may experience such as

• Shortness of breath
• Light headedness or dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diaphoresis, or severe weakness

Treatment of Acute coronary syndromes

If you have this disease, then you should be use Possible treatment such as:

• You should preserve patency of the coronary artery, and increases blood flow through stenosed lesions, and also reduce myocardial oxygen demand.
• If you have severe unstable angina and ECG changes, then you should be admitted to a telemetry unit.
• All patients that have this disease, then people should receive anti platelet agents and patients.
• You should be used drugs to treat ACS such as Nitrates oppose coronary artery spasm and reduce myocardial oxygen demand by reducing pre-load and after load. Other drug such as analgesics reduce pain, which decreases sympathetic stress and reduces preload.
• For the treatment of MI typically involves the following treatment guide lines that are recommended by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines such as assessment of the patient with chest pain in the emergency department within 10 minutes of symptom onset because at least 50% of deaths take place within 1 hour of the onset of symptoms.
• Another treatment is morphine or meperidine for analgesia because pain stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, and that may lead to an increase in heart rate and vasoconstriction.