Heart & blood pressure

Heart Attack Explained: How It Happens, STEMI vs NSTEMI, the Tests, and Why Some Get a Stent

Nurse Ade, BSN, RN · October 20, 2026 · 20 min

Educational only, not medical advice. Talk to your own doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist. In an emergency, call 911.

What this video covers

If you or someone you love has just been through a heart attack, the hospital words can be confusing. In this video, a cardiac nurse explains, step by step and in plain language, what actually happens inside your heart during a heart attack, which artery feeds which part of the heart, and what happens when one of those arteries is blocked.

You will learn the difference between unstable angina, an NSTEMI and a STEMI, and why that difference matters. Nurse Ade walks through the tests you can expect, including the EKG, troponin blood tests, an echo and a heart catheterization, and explains why some people get a stent while others do not, and where bypass surgery fits in. The video also touches on the medicines used after a heart attack, four common mix-ups, questions to ask your doctor, and a short quiz to check what you learned. It ends with a simple idea: start a heart folder. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 right away. Do not wait, and do not drive yourself.

Key points

• How a heart attack happens
• STEMI vs NSTEMI, and why the difference matters
• The tests you can expect
• Why some people get a stent and some don't

Chapters

1. 0:00 Four Heart Attacks, Four Different Paths
2. 1:10 What This Video Covers
3. 2:08 The Road Picture: Wall, Jam, Closure, Cameras, Crew
4. 3:05 Which Artery Feeds Which Part of Your Heart
5. 4:50 What Happens When an Artery Is Blocked
6. 5:56 How a Heart Attack Starts
7. 6:23 Unstable Angina vs NSTEMI vs STEMI
8. 7:38 Type 2 Heart Attack
9. 8:31 The Tests: EKG, Troponin, Echo and Cath
10. 10:18 STEMI Treatment and the 90 Minute Goal
11. 11:13 NSTEMI, Type 2 and Bypass Surgery
12. 13:24 Medicines After a Heart Attack
13. 14:06 The Four Stories Explained
14. 14:41 4 Common Mix-ups
15. 15:35 Questions to Ask Your Doctor
16. 15:58 What to Do This Week
17. 16:34 Quiz: Test What You Learned
18. 18:44 Start Your Heart Folder