If you want to see more scientifically accurate 3D medical images, please subscribe to our channel: /nucleushealthvideose MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: If you have acute coronary syndrome, you have one or more conditions that result in blocked blood flow to your heart muscle. This is a medical emergency because you may be having a heart attack, a condition in which your heart muscle begins to die. Your heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood containing the oxygen and nutrients your body needs. The main pumping chamber of your heart is the left ventricle. When the left ventricle contracts, it sends oxygen-rich blood to your body through a large artery called the aorta. Small arteries connected to the aorta, called coronary arteries, are connected to the aorta. Blood flows from the aorta through the coronary arteries to supply oxygen and nutrients to your heart muscle. If you have acute coronary syndrome, blood flow through the coronary arteries is severely reduced or completely blocked. One possible cause of reduced blood flow is atherosclerosis. In this condition, a buildup of a fatty substance called plaque narrows the coronary arteries. If this plaque breaks off, a blood clot can form and block the artery. The most common cause of a blocked coronary artery is a blood clot. Other common causes of reduced blood flow include coronary artery spasm, or dissection. In a coronary artery spasm, triggers such as drugs, smoking, cold weather, and extreme stress or emotions can cause a sudden, temporary hardening of a coronary artery. During a coronary artery dissection, the inner wall of the coronary arteries separates, which can block blood flow. Regardless of the cause, a blockage in any coronary artery prevents oxygen and nutrients from the blood from reaching the part of the heart supplied by the artery. As a result, the heart muscle in that area begins to die. The death of part of the heart muscle is called a heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction or MI. A blocked coronary artery may also cause you to feel sudden pain, discomfort, tightening or burning sensation in your chest, called angina. This pain may spread to your upper abdomen, shoulders, arms, neck and lower jaw. If you have angina when you are at rest, or frequent angina that prevents even moderate physical activity, you have unstable angina, which is the main symptom of acute coronary syndrome. Other symptoms of acute coronary syndrome include shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea and sweating. If you have had a heart attack or have other types of acute coronary syndrome, your doctor may prescribe oxygen therapy, to get more oxygen into your blood. You may take aspirin or other prescription blood-thinning drugs to prevent blood clots from forming. Thrombolytics, also known as clot-busting drugs, may be used to break up existing blood clots. Drugs such as nitroglycerin and morphine relax the coronary arteries and relieve angina pain. You may also receive drugs called beta blockers that slow your heart and reduce your need for oxygen. Your doctor may also recommend immediate surgical procedures, such as coronary angioplasty, in which a balloon-tipped catheter inflates the inside of the blocked coronary artery to open it. After inflation, the balloon catheter leaves a mesh-like device called a stent to keep the artery open. Or you may be given a coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG. CABG is a surgical procedure in which blocked areas of the coronary arteries are bypassed with veins or artificial graft material. If you have symptoms of acute coronary syndrome, seek treatment immediately. ANH13113