rtrapasso
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ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
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ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
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ORIGINAL: Chickenboy
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ORIGINAL: rtrapasso
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ORIGINAL: Terminus
Well, duh... My original point stands.
Well, no... though i suppose your definition of "very few" might make it stand.
I suppose it could depend on your interpretation of what the vernacular 'heart attacks' means. Sudden, ischemic myocardial necrosis and myocardial death (along with the patient dying peracutely) or poor cardiac function resulting in long-term myocardial damage and-more rarely-sudden myocardial death.
The classic "Acute" versus "Acute on Chronic" manifestations of disease.
The "heart attack" as defined in my first pathology course:
F.A.R.T.
F = failure
A = arrythmia
R = rupture
T = Thrombosis
Lots of T, lots of A, lots of F, not much R.
EDIT: The "A" is probably vastly under-recognized... basically, you get the "negative autopsy", which is 20-30% of them in my experience. Personally, i've had several friends/acquaintances die of this - generally its a young guy drops over dead and no reason can be found.  So far i haven't had any friends die of a thrombotic MI, though i suppose i can look forward to that in the next 20-30 years...
Hand in hand with the 'arrythmia' cause has got to be neurogenic causes of arterial constriction. Doesn't 'arrythmia' go beyond the aFib / vFib / nodal causes of dysrhytmia? 
My MIL has had this problem for years-she's lived through three neurogenic heart attacks. No blockage / thrombosis, no hemorrhage but when one of her coronary arteries is tickled the right way it squeezes tighter than an AFB's backside on December 7 at Pearl. Nerve input is critical for vascular function. Vascular function is pretty important (read: understatement) for myocardial health.
Then again, rtrapasso-when did you take your very first pathology course? Did they know about these causes of myocardial disease or were these cardiac insults classified as "rock"? Different causes of cardiac diseases=rock, mud, stick and grunt. Good 'ole rock-nothing beats rock. 
Been a number of years since i took it (1974, but of course i continue reading on the subject of pathology to this day), but yes, "neurogenic" causes were known... one name is "Prinzmetal" angina - spasm of the coronary artery, with various causes (smoking being right up there, imo).
i had a friend die of this: it causes heart/chest pain, but you die of arrhythmia* (i.e. - you go into ventricular fibrillation or just asystole). No coronary thrombosis. The friend who died smoked a lot, and when he started getting some chest pain, he took one more puff... unfortunately his last. Negative autopsy (i.e. - no thrombosis, etc.) There are a host of causes of arrythmias beside arterial spasm (many congenital).
The cause in his case was (probably) nicotine/smoking, which can effect the nervous system, but smoking also causes relative hypoxia and has a host of other chemicals which can also do strange things. Hypoxia can sometimes cause muscle spasm (witness "Charley Horse" cramps in the undercirculated leg.)
While you might call it "neurogenic", the mechanism in most cases of the coronary arterial spasm is unknown (in humans... not sure about chickens.)
*EDIT - well, often die from arrythmia. If there is prolonged spasm and you manage to stay alive, you can cause actual infarction.
< Message edited by rtrapasso -- 4/12/2011 9:47:09 PM >
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RE: THE THREAD!!! - 
Two bruised thumbs and jammed finger. 
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