Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most common cardiovascular disorders, with an estimated prevalence of 3.8% in individuals aged less than 60 years and 9.5% in those aged over 60 years. MI remains a leading cause of death and is a significant public health concern worldwide.But a heart attack isn't one single disease with one single mechanism. Being able to classify the type of myocardial infarction quickly can improve diagnosis and treatment.In view of this, four major cardiac societies—the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA) and the World Heart Federation (WHF)—have jointly launched the Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction.The Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction replaces numerical labels with three clinically meaningful categories.The new approach aims to help healthcare professionals make more consistent diagnoses and enable patients to understand their condition better.The new definition also aligns with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding, which captures statistics on the extent, causes and consequences of different diseases.“People may think of an MI as a heart attack caused by a blocked coronary artery but there are many different causes of MI,” explained ESC Chair, Professor Nicholas Mills from the University of Edinburgh, UK.“The previous universal definition used a numerical system to categorize the different types of MI but this was not always easy to apply in clinical practice, leading to inconsistencies in diagnosis and treatment. The ESC, ACC, AHA and WHF have worked together to devise an updated and simplified classification system for MI, which aims to address these limitations.”What Does the Fifth UDMI Mean?The Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction updates the classification to better reflect underlying pathophysiology, align with the clinical evaluation of patients, and incorporate objective diagnostic criteria.Notably, it could facilitate wider study of less common mechanisms of primary MI, such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a condition occurring predominantly in women that is currently underdiagnosed.What Are the 3 New Heart Attack Categories?The new system considers the underlying cause of MI and aligns the diagnosis with established approaches to clinical evaluation. It recognises that MI occurs in three clinical settings: primary MI, secondary MI and procedure-related MI.In this updated approach to MI classification, all MIs fit into one of these three clinical categories, and the new document outlines the diagnostic tests and investigations required for each.1. Primary MIPrimary MI arises spontaneously due to an acute problem in a coronary artery. It is most commonly caused by a rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque, but there are other causes, such as a tear in the coronary wall (spontaneous coronary artery dissection [SCAD]), spasm or a clot.2. Secondary MISecondary MI arises from an imbalance in oxygen supply and demand in the heart caused by another condition, such as very high or very low blood pressure or a very fast heartbeat.3. Procedure-Related MIThe third setting—procedure-related MI—is one that occurs within 30 days of a cardiac procedure, such as coronary stenting, or a heart operation, such as coronary artery bypass surgery.“Clinicians often do not use the previous numerical terminology—e.g. type 2 or type 4c—in patient discussions as it is rather complex. With the new approach, we can now talk with patients about the cause of their MI so that they can understand their condition and recognize why the next steps, such as further tests and treatments, are needed,” said ACC/AHA Chair, Professor Kristin Newby from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, US.