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Acute
Coronary Syndrome
Acute
Coronary Syndromes consist of two groups, namely unstable
angina and non-Q wave myocardial infarction.
Unstable
angina can be defined as cardiac chest pain that is
more frequent, severe or prolonged than the patient's
usual angina symptoms. It may occur at rest or with
minimal exertion, and may be difficult to control with
drugs. Angina of recent onset is also classified as
unstable. Non-Q wave myocardial infarction presents
similarly to unstable angina, but is accompanied by
a rise in cardiac enzyme concentration detectable by
blood testing without marked changes on the electrocardiogram.
Patients with acute coronary syndromes are at a high
risk of major myocardial infarction and death.
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