The heart is a muscle, or at least has muscles, right? sooo ....?

Question

Is a heart attack actually a cramp of that muscle, like a cramp in any other muscle?

"which results in impaired contractility of the heart muscle within seconds" was included in one persons response, and that sounds a lot like a cramp to me. Are cramps also the result of temporary loss of blood flow to a muscle resulting in loss of oxygen to it and therefore resulting in a cramp?

Answer 1

The heart IS a muscle, but a heart attack isn't a cramp like you would get in say a leg muscle.
A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, refers to the death of a certain segment of the heart muscle (myocardium). It's usually the result of a complete blockage in one of the main coronary arteries or a branch which supplies oxygentated blood to the heart muscle. The main cause of myocardial infarction is atherosclerosis (the build up of plaque on the inside of the blood vessels due to fat substances, cholesterol, calcium and other substances) in the coronary arteries which results in impaired contractility of the heart muscle within seconds, and is initially restricted to the affected segment.

The myocardial ischemia or infarction begins in the endocardium (the inner lining of the heart) and spreads to the epicardium (the outer lining of the heart). Irreversible heart damage will occur if the blockage is complete for at least 15-20 minutes. Irreversible damage occurs maximally in the area at risk, and when the occlusion is maintained for 4-6 hours. Most of the damage occurs in the first 2-3 hours. Restoration of flow within the first 4-5 hours is associated with salvage of the heart muscle, but the salvage is greater if flow is restored in the first 1-2 hours.

A major determinant of death and illness is the size of the infarct. Increasing the oxygen supply to the involved site of blockage by coronary reperfusion can be done through use of certain medications and angioplasty, stents or artherectomy.

Addendum:
(Impaired contractility means a muscle is unable to contract the way it should or can't contract at all.)

Cramps:
A muscle cramp is an involuntary, painful CONTRACTION of the muscles which produce a hard, bulging muscle. Muscle twitching, also called fasciculation is the result of spontaneous local muscle contractions that are involuntary. The muscle cramp usually only affects the individual muscle groups connected to a particular motor neuron. Some common causes of cramps are:

Muscle fatigue
Heavy exercise
Dehydration
Pregnancy
Heat Cramps

There may be some temporary loss of circulation to the muscle group that is cramped because of muscle contraction, but there is NO death of tissue due to a clot or embolus. There are no clots or emboli involved in a cramp therefore they aren't the same as an infarction (as explained in the answer below). :-)

Answer 2

No. A heart attack (myocardial infarction) is when heart muscle dies because of blood flow is cut off in the coronary arteries and thus your oxygen supply to the heart is gone. End result is tissue necrosis.

Answer 3

hands you're able to do hammer curls, and dips and on your legs you're able to do lunges, leg presses, leg extensions and squats comparable on your butt.some routines artwork out extra then one muscle at a time. Edit: you're able to do you routines in 3 gadgets of ten. To recover from an workout you're able to attend 40 8 hours because of the fact training a similar muscle back you are able to exact recuperate. you're able to see progression in 3 months. weight-reduction plan is likewise a key factor in attaining this. For the hips...idk

Answer 4

in a heart attack a portion of the heart lacks oxygen and DIES. it is not a cramp, and that portion will never function normally again. A cramp is not necessarily caused by lack of oxygen but can be electrolyte imbalance.

Answer 5

Yes It is very similar.