#shorts Why do they call LAD a widow maker?
LAD is usually the largest branch of the left main coronary artery which supplies the major portion of the left ventricle. It supplies major portion of the interventricular septum which mostly constitutes the anterior wall of the left ventricle as seen on echocardiography.
Occlusion of proximal LAD before its first septal and diagonal branches can cause a large myocardial infarction, which can sometimes be fatal. That is why LAD has been called a widow maker artery. This animation video shows the formation of a thrombus over an atherosclerotic plaque in the LAD.
When the LAD is blocked at its origin, the resulting damage to the myocardium is large so that the pumping function of the left ventricle may fail. It can also alter the heart rhythm abruptly causing cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation. This can lead to sudden death unless prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation followed electrical defibrillation with a direct current shock from a defibrillator is given.

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