Major changes to heart attack classification

A task force of four major cardiac societies has introduced a new international heart attack definition, replacing the previous five-number classification system with three broader categories, and focusing more on the underlying cause.

Doctors are also encouraged to distinguish damage to heart muscle from a heart attack, which occurs directly due to a lack of blood flow and oxygen.

Medical News Today reports that the updated definition could improve care and research by making diagnoses easier to communicate, supporting more consistent classification, and improving understanding of less common causes of heart attack, say the experts.

Myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, typically occur when a blockage or other complication causes reduced blood flow to part of the heart muscle.

The Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction exists to give healthcare professionals a standard, agreed way of diagnosing and classifying heart attacks.