Armin Schieb
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Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
Deutsches Zentrum für Herz- und Kreislaufforschung
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© Armin Schieb / Sepia
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In a coronary artery dissection, the innermost layer (intima) of a coronary artery—which supplies blood to the heart muscle—tears. Blood flows through the tear into the intermediate layers of the blood vessel; the wall layers separate painfully, and a pocket filled with clotted blood forms, which swells and obstructs or completely blocks blood flow. The resulting disruption of blood flow to the heart muscle can subsequently lead to an acute coronary syndrome (heart attack). Armin created an infographic on a variant of coronary artery dissection for presentations and press releases by the German Center for Heart and Circulatory Research (DZHK).
In a coronary artery dissection, the innermost layer (intima) of a coronary artery—which supplies blood to the heart muscle—tears. Blood flows through the tear into the intermediate layers of the blood vessel; the wall layers separate painfully, and a pocket filled with clotted blood forms, which swells and obstructs or completely blocks blood flow. The resulting disruption of blood flow to the heart muscle can subsequently lead to an acute coronary syndrome (heart attack). Armin created an infographic on a variant of coronary artery dissection for presentations and press releases by the German Center for Heart and Circulatory Research (DZHK).
© Armin Schieb / Sepia
2