Question: How do we get heart attacks and what happens when we get them?

Steve Briddon answered on 28 Apr 2021:

So a heart attack happens when our heart isn’t getting enough oxygen supply to keep the heart muscle working. This usually happens just in one bit of the heart. It’s often because there is a blockage (called a clot) in one of the blood vessels in the heart which stops the blood from getting oxygen to that bit. In really bad cases this can shock the heart into stopping pumping blood. If it’s left too long, the bit of the heart which is near the blockage can die. Often we can treat the heart attack by getting rid of the clot and letting the blood back in. If the heart has stopped, we can give it an electric shock to start it again.