What happens if myocardial infarction is not treated?

Myocardial infarction—commonly referred to as a heart attack—is a serious, life-threatening condition that requires prompt treatment. If left untreated, several serious and potentially fatal complications can occur.

Within minutes of the onset of a heart attack, patient’s cardiac tissue begins to die off due to lack of oxygenated blood supply which causes irreparable damage. If treated within an hour with thrombolytic (clot-busting) medication or primary angioplasty/stent procedure, much of the damaged area can be saved.

If it is left untreated for more than one hour after symptom onset, this time frame is known as the “golden hour” where even if these treatments are administered late there is still potential for saving vital cardiac tissue and reducing mortality rates by up to 40%.

After six hours without treatment it becomes almost impossible to effectively reperfuse the area unless advanced procedures such as cardiac surgery (open coronary artery bypass grafting) are employed; however at this stage much of the myocardial infarct has already occurred which may lead to further complications down the line such as congestive heart failure, arrhythmias or even sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation.

In short, prompt medical attention must be sought immediately following symptoms suggestive of myocardial infarction in order reduce irreversible damage and improve prognosis outcomes.