1.23 Heart Attack
The dreaded heart attack happens when a blood clot decides to form on top of one of those cholesterol plaques. That blood clot can form within minutes and 100% block the blood flow in a coronary artery. This will result in angina as the heart muscle starts to get damaged. Here is what it looks like:
Worse things can happen such as life-threatening heart rhythm problems and congestive heart failure.
When a heart attack happens, the coronary artery containing the blood clot needs to be opened up right away with a procedure called an angioplasty and a stent is usually inserted to keep the coronary artery open. Here is what this looks like: