Someone I know had a family member have a massive heart attack. They were saying how doctors said all four of his arteries were completely blocked.
From my understanding, when someone has all four heart arteries blocked, it takes time to get to that point. Meaning they couldn’t all have happened to clog at the same time. I could understand some gradual buildup in the arteries, but complete blockage in all four at the same time?? That just doesn’t sound right.
My question is wouldn’t they have had a heart attack when only one artery got blocked? Or can the heart continue to function when some arteries are blocked if there’s still one functioning? How were they even alive past the first blockage?
Maybe there was slight blood flow and partial blockage in the arteries so the heart was getting just enough flow to function until finally it got so blocked it couldn’t flow anymore. Do doctors just say the arteries were completely blocked as a general statement?
I’m just trying to understand how someone could even survive past a first single blockage. I’m sorry if it’s a stupid question, but I’m autistic so maybe I’m over analyzing a general statement that doctors might just say to people. I’m also going into nursing and I just am trying to understand because that statement just doesn’t make sense to me. I want to understand as completely as possible so I can be knowledgeable on it. Thank you 🙂
In: Biology
The ELI5 version:
Heart disease happens slow, then it happens fast.
The slow part: over time, deposits of cholesterol (and other stuff) build up in the walls of the arteries that feed the heart. We call these deposits “plaques”. People with large plaques can have difficulty getting enough blood to the heart, because the arteries are partially blocked. When they exert themselves, they need more blood to run the heart than they can get, so the heart doesn’t work well and it hurts. We call this pain “angina”.
The fast part: the plaques are buried in the wall of the artery. But sometimes they will break open, so that the inside of the plaque touches the blood as it goes by. When this happens, the blood clots in the artery and blocks it entirely (or nearly so). Then there is severe pain, and not enough blood getting through to run the heart even at rest. We call this a “heart attack” (technically: acute myocardial infarction). This is very painful, and if part of the heart does not get enough blood for enough time, that part of the heart will die.
>ELI5 How can someone have all four heart arteries completely clogged?
So, first they had the slow part, then the fast part. When this happens to the beginning of the arteries that feed the heart (the left main coronary artery), then all of the arteries become clogged. Often people die from this (this kind of heart blockage is called a “Widowmaker”). If a person gets to the hospital quickly, and is lucky, a doctor trained in this may be able to open up the blocked arteries.
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