The Facts
The heart is one of the largest muscles in the body. The wall of the
heart is the muscle that does the pumping, it is called the myocardium.
In a heart attack, this muscle tissue is denied oxygen-bearing blood due to
a blocked artery. When the shortage of oxygen gets so bad that many cells die,
it's called infarction. The medical name for a heart attack is an acute
myocardial infarction (MI).
Heart attacks were directly responsible for about 20% of all deaths in the United States in 2003. About 40% of people who have a heart attack do not survive. Although having a heart attack is very serious, the chances of survival are greatly increased if you are able to get to a hospital right away.