A heart attack is sudden death of a portion of the heart muscle that has been deprived of its blood supply. Most heart attacks are caused by blockage of a coronary artery. Heart damage occurs very quickly following blockage of a coronary artery. The affected heart tissue begins to deteriorate, and damage becomes permanent after about 6 minutes. This is why the speed of response to a heart attack is critical. The more quickly a person is treated, the better the chances of limiting damage to the heart.
The symptoms and extent of a heart attack depend on factors such as the size of the blocked artery, the width of the channel inside the artery, the suddenness of the blockage, the extent to which an adequate collateral circulation has formed, and the general condition of the heart at the time of the attack.
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