ABSTRACT
Ischemic heart disease results from an inadequate level of coronary blood flow to meet
myocardial oxygen demand. Since the heart extracts oxygen nearly maximally at baseline,
increases in myocardial oxygen demand must be met by commensurate increases in coro-
nary blood flow. Myocardial infarction occurs when prolonged occlusion of coronary
flow results in myocardial necrosis. Acute coronary syndromes are a family of disorders
that share similar pathogenic mechanisms and represent different points along a
continuum. They include unstable angina pectoris, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial
infarction (NSTEMI), ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and sudden
cardiac death (SCD).
