Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOverviewSymptomsTypesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosisPreventionWhat STEMI Means
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Overview
Symptoms
Types
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Prevention
What STEMI Means
A STEMI, or ST elevationmyocardial infarction, is a heart attack that occurs when a major artery feeding into the heart is completely blocked. This changes the blood flow to the organ and the electrical current in the lower chambers.
This article explains what a STEMI heart attack is. It also covers symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options.
All Parts of Heart Anatomy
What Is a STEMI Heart Attack?
STEMI is the most severe type ofacute coronary syndrome (ACS), which describes conditions where there is a rapid decrease of blood flow to the heart.
STEMI pathophysiology, or how one comes about, is as follows:
STEMI vs. NSTEMI vs. Unstable Angina
Other, less severe, types of ACS are notably different from the STEMI type. They include:
Mini Heart Attack: Don’t Doubt Yourself With Suspected Symptoms
Symptoms of a STEMI Heart Attack
Symptoms can vary from person to person. Some STEMI symptoms may include:
Anyone who is at risk of a heart attack should pay close attention to any unusual symptoms and seek medical attention right away if any are noticed.
Verywell / Laura Porter
Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Types of STEMI Attacks
Blood flows into the heart from three different arteries. STEMI heart attacks are classified depending on which part of the heart the blocked artery is supplying.
Coronary Arteries: Anatomy and Function
How STEMI Is Diagnosed
To diagnose a STEMI, a healthcare provider will go over your symptoms. They will also run diagnostic tests like an ECG. In addition, your healthcare provider may also run blood tests, known ascardiac biomarkers, to check for heart muscle damage and rapidly begin treatment.
To confirm the diagnosis, images of the coronary arteries are taken to assess where the blockage is located.
How a Heart Attack Is Diagnosed
STEMI Treatment
Because a STEMI is a severe heart attack, treatment will begin as soon as possible. Keep in mind, the longer it takes to unblock the artery, the more damage there may be.
STEMI treatment may include:
How Many People Survive a Heart Attack?
STEMI Heart Attack Prognosis
In general, the 30-day mortality rate for people with STEMI ranges from 2.5% to 10%:
Keep in mind that mortality can rise to about 38% if an individual experiences a complication, like sudden cardiac arrest, before making it to the hospital.
Other factors that increase the risk of death from STEMI include a history of:
In addition, the older a person is, the more likely STEMI will be fatal. Research shows people age 80 and older have a 45.9% mortality rate from STEMI.
How Long Can You Live After a STEMI Heart Attack?Individuals who survive past the year mark have a life expectancy similar to that of the general population.
How Long Can You Live After a STEMI Heart Attack?
Individuals who survive past the year mark have a life expectancy similar to that of the general population.
While you can’t control all factors that help prevent a STEMI heart attack, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk, including:
Why It’s Called a STEMI Heart Attack
A STEMI is so-named because it causes an increase in the ST segment of anelectrocardiogram (ECG)—a diagnostic test that uses sensors to monitor the heart’s electrical activity and records it on a line graph.
The ST segment refers to a part of the test that shows the heart’s activity in a wave pattern. When a person has the most severe type of heart attack, this segment will appear abnormally elevated, instead of flat. This indicates a total blockage.
Summary
STEMI is the most severe type of acute coronary syndrome. With this type of heart attack, there is a complete blockage in one of the coronary arteries.
Symptoms of a STEMI may vary from person to person, but generally include discomfort, pain, or pressure around the chest area.
To diagnose a STEMI, your healthcare provider will go over your symptoms, as well as run various diagnostic tests. Treatment will begin as soon as possible and may include various medications and procedures to help unblock the artery and reduce discomfort.
Warning Signs of a Heart Attack in Women
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.JCM. 2020;9(4):1174. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9041174MedlinePlus.Acute coronary syndrome.MedlinePlus.Unstable angina.Farhat-Sabet A, Smith A, Atwood JE, Pickett C.Localising culprit artery in inferior STEMI.Open Heart. 2023;10(1). doi:10.1136/openhrt-2022-002093Whalen D, Dunne C, Dubrowski A, Mohamed L, Parsons MH.Diagnosis and management of an inferior ST-elevation Myocardial infarction: A simulation scenario.Cureus. 2019;11(2):e3995. doi:10.7759/cureus.3995Cornejo-Guerra JA, Manzur-Sandoval D, Guadalajara-Boo JF, Briseño-de la Cruz JL.Case report: Posterior myocardial infarction in presence of right bundle branch block: an old concept with new findings.Eur Heart J Case Rep. 2018;2(3):yty085. doi:10.1093/ehjcr/yty085Akbar H, Foth C, Kahloon RA, Mountfort S.Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.Karam N, Bataille S, Marijon E, et al.Incidence, mortality, and outcome-predictors of sudden cardiac arrest complicating myocardial infarction prior to hospital admission.Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. 2019;12(1):e007081. doi:10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.118.007081Jollis JG, Granger CB, Zègre-Hemsey JK, Henry TD, Goyal A, Tamis-Holland JE,et al.Treatment Time and In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, 2018-2021.JAMA. 2022 Nov 22;328(20):2033-2040. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.20149.Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.J Clin Med. 2020;9(4):E1174. doi:10.3390/jcm9041174American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart attack prevention.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.JCM. 2020;9(4):1174. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9041174MedlinePlus.Acute coronary syndrome.MedlinePlus.Unstable angina.Farhat-Sabet A, Smith A, Atwood JE, Pickett C.Localising culprit artery in inferior STEMI.Open Heart. 2023;10(1). doi:10.1136/openhrt-2022-002093Whalen D, Dunne C, Dubrowski A, Mohamed L, Parsons MH.Diagnosis and management of an inferior ST-elevation Myocardial infarction: A simulation scenario.Cureus. 2019;11(2):e3995. doi:10.7759/cureus.3995Cornejo-Guerra JA, Manzur-Sandoval D, Guadalajara-Boo JF, Briseño-de la Cruz JL.Case report: Posterior myocardial infarction in presence of right bundle branch block: an old concept with new findings.Eur Heart J Case Rep. 2018;2(3):yty085. doi:10.1093/ehjcr/yty085Akbar H, Foth C, Kahloon RA, Mountfort S.Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.Karam N, Bataille S, Marijon E, et al.Incidence, mortality, and outcome-predictors of sudden cardiac arrest complicating myocardial infarction prior to hospital admission.Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. 2019;12(1):e007081. doi:10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.118.007081Jollis JG, Granger CB, Zègre-Hemsey JK, Henry TD, Goyal A, Tamis-Holland JE,et al.Treatment Time and In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, 2018-2021.JAMA. 2022 Nov 22;328(20):2033-2040. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.20149.Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.J Clin Med. 2020;9(4):E1174. doi:10.3390/jcm9041174American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart attack prevention.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.JCM. 2020;9(4):1174. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9041174MedlinePlus.Acute coronary syndrome.MedlinePlus.Unstable angina.Farhat-Sabet A, Smith A, Atwood JE, Pickett C.Localising culprit artery in inferior STEMI.Open Heart. 2023;10(1). doi:10.1136/openhrt-2022-002093Whalen D, Dunne C, Dubrowski A, Mohamed L, Parsons MH.Diagnosis and management of an inferior ST-elevation Myocardial infarction: A simulation scenario.Cureus. 2019;11(2):e3995. doi:10.7759/cureus.3995Cornejo-Guerra JA, Manzur-Sandoval D, Guadalajara-Boo JF, Briseño-de la Cruz JL.Case report: Posterior myocardial infarction in presence of right bundle branch block: an old concept with new findings.Eur Heart J Case Rep. 2018;2(3):yty085. doi:10.1093/ehjcr/yty085Akbar H, Foth C, Kahloon RA, Mountfort S.Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.Karam N, Bataille S, Marijon E, et al.Incidence, mortality, and outcome-predictors of sudden cardiac arrest complicating myocardial infarction prior to hospital admission.Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. 2019;12(1):e007081. doi:10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.118.007081Jollis JG, Granger CB, Zègre-Hemsey JK, Henry TD, Goyal A, Tamis-Holland JE,et al.Treatment Time and In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, 2018-2021.JAMA. 2022 Nov 22;328(20):2033-2040. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.20149.Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.J Clin Med. 2020;9(4):E1174. doi:10.3390/jcm9041174American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart attack prevention.
Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.JCM. 2020;9(4):1174. doi:10.3390%2Fjcm9041174
MedlinePlus.Acute coronary syndrome.
MedlinePlus.Unstable angina.
Farhat-Sabet A, Smith A, Atwood JE, Pickett C.Localising culprit artery in inferior STEMI.Open Heart. 2023;10(1). doi:10.1136/openhrt-2022-002093
Whalen D, Dunne C, Dubrowski A, Mohamed L, Parsons MH.Diagnosis and management of an inferior ST-elevation Myocardial infarction: A simulation scenario.Cureus. 2019;11(2):e3995. doi:10.7759/cureus.3995
Cornejo-Guerra JA, Manzur-Sandoval D, Guadalajara-Boo JF, Briseño-de la Cruz JL.Case report: Posterior myocardial infarction in presence of right bundle branch block: an old concept with new findings.Eur Heart J Case Rep. 2018;2(3):yty085. doi:10.1093/ehjcr/yty085
Akbar H, Foth C, Kahloon RA, Mountfort S.Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.
Karam N, Bataille S, Marijon E, et al.Incidence, mortality, and outcome-predictors of sudden cardiac arrest complicating myocardial infarction prior to hospital admission.Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. 2019;12(1):e007081. doi:10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.118.007081
Jollis JG, Granger CB, Zègre-Hemsey JK, Henry TD, Goyal A, Tamis-Holland JE,et al.Treatment Time and In-Hospital Mortality Among Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction, 2018-2021.JAMA. 2022 Nov 22;328(20):2033-2040. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.20149.
Pascual I, Hernandez-Vaquero D, Almendarez M, et al.Observed and expected survival in men and women after suffering a stemi.J Clin Med. 2020;9(4):E1174. doi:10.3390/jcm9041174
American Heart Association.Lifestyle changes for heart attack prevention.
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