I21.9: Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified
You had a heart attack.
The heart muscle is supplied with oxygen-rich blood via the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries are blood vessels that run around the outside of the heart. The coronary arteries can get narrow due to deposits of fat and calcium. Various things favor these deposits. These include smoking, high blood pressure, and other disorders. The porosity of the coronary arteries can also be restricted for other reasons. For example, if the blood vessel wall is damaged or the muscles in the blood vessel wall cramp up.
A heart attack involves parts of the heart not getting enough oxygen-rich blood. As a result, the affected heart tissue gets damaged or dies.
A heart attack can cause sudden pain in the chest or arm. They may sweat or feel nauseous. The heart may no longer be working properly. One can then have breathing difficulties and be seriously ill.
Additional indicator
On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.
- G: Confirmed diagnosis
- V: Tentative diagnosis
- Z: Condition after
- A: Excluded diagnosis
- L: Left
- R: Right
- B: Both sides
Further information
Note
This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.
Source
Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
