Heart is the organ which pumps theoxygenated blood to all parts of your body. The heart is about the size of your fist and its wall consists of a very specialized type of muscle. The contraction and relaxation of the muscle is conducted through electrical impulses generated from SA and AV node. Like any muscle, heart requires oxygen to work. Oxygen-rich blood is fed to the heart via the coronary arteries, which branch off from theaorta. These vessels lie on the surface of the heart and distribute blood to all areas of the heart muscle through a complex network of small vessels.
- Right Coronary Artery
- Left Main Coronary Artery
- Left Anterior Descending Artery
- Left Circumflex Artery
Coronary artery blockage (stenosis) causes the blood supply to the heart muscle to become restricted. The stenosis is caused by a buildup of fatty plaque or cholesterol, which is deposited inside the vessel wall. The stenosis results in insufficient flow of blood to the heart muscle, and results in a lack of oxygen. If the buildup of plaque is only mild you may not experience any noticeable symptoms at rest, and possibly only mild pain during exercise. However, if the blockage is more severe the disease leads to insufficient blood supply of the heart muscle which may result in chest pain (angina.) or heart attack (myocardial infarction). A heart attack results from a completely blocked vessel (either by a rupture of a plaque or due to clot formation) and may damage the heart muscle significantly.