Acute coronary syndromes
Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is a syndrome caused by decreased blood flow to the coronary artery (set of signs and symptoms) such that part of the heart muscle fails to function properly or dies. The most common symptom is chest pain, frequently radiating to the left shoulder or angle of the jaw, crushing, central, and associated with nausea and sweating. Many people with acute coronary syndrome, especially women, elderly patients, and patients with diabetes mellitus, have symptoms other than chest pain.
Acute coronary syndrome is generally related to three clinical symptoms, named according to the presence of the electrocardiogram (ECG): ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI, 30%) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction ( NSTEMI, 25%) or unstable angina (38%). There can be several variations as to which forms of myocardial infarction (MI) are classified as acute coronary syndrome.