🚀 go-pugleaf

On Fri, 24 Nov 2000 16:54:39 GMT, G. <gw@cs.uchicago.edu>  wrote:

>chooch@casagrande.com writes:
>
>>A "heart attack" (more correctly a myocardial infarction, or MI)
>>occurs when a blood vessel (artery) leading to a section of the heart
>>muscle becomes blocked.  How serious it is depends on where the
>>blockage occurs.  If it's in one of the big major cardiac arteries,
>>then a large section of the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen and
>>you've got what's called a "Massive" MI.  (Those are usually
>>immediately fatal in about 1/3 of all occurrences.)
>>
>>But if the blockage occurs in one of the smaller sub-arteries, then
>>only a very small section of the heart muscle is involved and you have
>>a "minor" MI.  These are almost never fatal, but are warning signs
>>that corrective action (like installing a stent) is needed to prevent
>>a more serious blockage from happening.
>>
>>This is a somewhat simplified explanation, but if you need more
>>information I suggest you do a little research on your own.  Like you
>>should have done in the first place before you publically displayed
>>your ignorence.
>
>Hey doc, can you give a simplified explanation for the difference
>in prognosis between a mild MI and a mild MI with a history of MI
>and at least one CABG?
>
First of all, I'm not a doctor, nor have I pretended to be.  Secondly,
my statement was intended only to explain how not all "heart attacks"
are the same.  Finally, your question really can't be answered in any
meaningful way because there are too many unknown variables.

It's possible to have a single mild MI and have a "worse" prognosis
than someone who had a mild MI with a history of MI and a CABG.  It
all depends on exactly how much total tissue damage has occurred to
the heart muscle and what prompted the bypass in the first place.
Every instance is going to be different, only a cardiologist who is
familiar with all of the circumstances involved could make any kind of
meaningful prognosis. It's not a "one size fits all" kind of deal.