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Coronary occlusion
Coronary occlusion
	Normal and partially blocked/occluded blood vessel
Specialty	Cardiology
Symptoms	Chest pain, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, nausea, and drowsiness
Treatment	Medication, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass surgery

A coronary occlusion, or coronary artery disease, is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack.^[1] It is the most common form of cardiovascular disease, and is the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting 18 million adults.^[2]

Description

A coronary occlusion can be caused by smoking, having other heart or blood conditions, or being physically inactive. It is also hereditary.^[2] Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, pain in upper body, fatigue, nausea, an irregular heartbeat, and drowsiness.^[3]

To diagnose a coronary occlusion, a doctor may view a patient's medical history, or perform a coronary angiography; a doctor will stick a catheter into the wrist or groin, lead it to the heart, and inject a liquid for X-ray imaging.^[2]

To treat a coronary occlusion, medication may be used to relieve symptoms. Percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery may also be used.^[2]

In history

According to Robert K. Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra: The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty, Tsar Nicholas II may have suffered a coronary occlusion right before he was toppled from his throne during the Russian Revolution in 1917.^[4]

Coroners cited a coronary occlusion as the cause of death for Mongomery Clift.