MI Case Study: Myocardial Infarction

At 10:05 A.M., the blockage that had been silently growing in Paul

Parker's left coronary artery made its sinister presence known. The 54-year-old accounting executive had arrived with his family at the Denver zoo feeling fine, but suddenly a dull ache started in the center of his chest and he became nauseated. At first he brushed it off as the aftereffects of a company dinner the night before. However, when it

persisted, he told his wife who suggested that he go to the Aid Station.

"I'm not felling very well," he told the EMT at the station. "I think it may be indigestion." The EMT, on hearing Paul's symptoms and seeing his pale, sweaty face, immediately thought of a heart attack. "Let's get you over to the hospital and get this checked out."

The blockage in Paul's coronary artery had restricted blood flow to his...
[ View Full Essay]