CORONARY-ARTERY OCCLUSION AND MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

Thrombotic coronary artery occlusion dominates pathophysiology of coronary artery disease. Thrombolysis, therefore, is the decisive approach for the treatment of coronary artery obstruction. Development and size of myocardial infarction as a consequence of coronary occlusion, however, is also dependent on certain myocardial factors, among which the size of the myocardial area supplied by the occluded vessel duration of coronary occlusion myocardial oxygen consumption the extent of collateral blood flow ischemic tolerance and ischemic preconditioning are the most important. In unfavorable circumstances, the duration of ischemia is the dominating factor. Therefore, the highest priority must be given to initiate treatment as early as possible.