Heart attacks can occur in different parts of the body and are classified into two types: hemorrhagic infarctions and anemic heart attacks. Hemorrhagic infarcts are characterized by blocked veins or arteries and bleeding into tissue, while anemic heart attacks are caused by blocked arteries resulting in little or no blood supply to the organ. Different types of heart attacks can also be indicated by the particular organ they affect. Heart attacks can also involve limbs or bones, which can take several hours to cause irreversible damage.
A heart attack is tissue that has died from not receiving oxygen, usually caused by some type of problem with local blood flow. It is possible for a heart attack to form in many different parts of the body and can be classified into two main types. Hemorrhagic infarctions typically affect organs, such as the lungs or small intestine, and can be characterized by one or more veins becoming blocked by clotting agents and red blood cells. The other main type is anemic heart attacks, which tend to affect more solidly structured organs such as the kidneys. These heart attacks are usually caused by a blocked artery, resulting in little or no blood supply to the organ.
Hemorrhagic infarcts are often referred to as red infarcts, due to the presence of red blood cells. Because fibrin clotting agents and red blood cells block a vein or artery, blood can bleed into the tissue resulting in the red color these infarctions are known for. The tissue can then be deprived of oxygen, as the blood no longer flows normally.
The other type of heart attack is often called a white heart attack due to lack of blood in the tissue. These anemic infarctions usually occur in the spleen, kidneys, or other equally solid organs. They are often caused by blockage, or vasoconstriction, of an artery that supplies blood flow to the organ. Organ tissue that has been deprived of blood may be pale in color. Sometimes it is possible for one of these anemic infarctions to become a hemorrhagic infarction when the blood supply returns to the organ after the ischemic event.
Different types of heart attacks can also be indicated by the particular organ they affect. A myocardial infarction involves the death of cell tissue within the heart and may also be called a heart attack. This type of heart attack usually occurs when a plaque within an artery breaks loose, clogs the vessel and cuts off the oxygen supply to the heart. Similarly, a splenic infarction involves the occlusion of a blood vessel that supplies the spleen, and a cerebral infarction refers to the cut off of blood supply from the brain.
Heart attacks can also involve a limb or even bones. In the case of a heart attack in the limbs, the main causes tend to be an embolism within an artery or a venous thrombosis. Unlike many other types of heart attacks, those that affect a limb can take several hours to cause irreversible damage. This is because skeletal muscles can often utilize anaerobic metabolism, which is not possible for organs such as the brain that lack access to glycogen. Bones may be more vulnerable to ischemic events, but are usually able to heal after blood flow is restored.
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