If the atheroma ruptures it can damage the endothelium of the artery. This damage leads to a cascade of events which lead to the formation of a blood clot A thickened mass of blood formed by platelets.:
damage to the endothelium releases clotting factors
clotting factors convert the enzyme prothrombin to thrombin
thrombin causes the plasma protein fibrinogen to form threads of fibrin
fibrin threads mesh together clotting the blood and sealing the wound
scar tissue forms on this scaffold creating a clot
Thrombosis is the term given to the formation of a blood clot (thrombus) inside a blood vessel.
If a thrombosis The formation of blood clots inside a blood vessel. breaks loose it forms an embolusA mass that moves through blood vessels until it reaches a vessel that is too small to pass through which travels in the bloodstream where it may end up blocking a blood vessel completely.
If the embolus blocks a coronary arteryOne of the arteries that supplies the heart muscle with oxygen and glucose so that it can continually respire and therefore contract. it may lead to a heart attackA condition where the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by the build up of fatty material in one or more of the coronary arteries. Heart muscle is damaged in the process. (myocardial infarction) or can cause a strokeDamage to the brain caused by bleeding or blood clots in the brain's blood vessels. if it blocks an artery supplying the brain. In either case, tissue death can occur due to a lack of oxygen.