Is Coronary Heart Disease the same as a heart attack?

No. The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction, or the death of heart myocardium (basically the heart muscle). Coronary Heart disease (CAD) is a disease where plaques of cholesterol are deposited in the heart's coronary arteries (which feed the heart blood during diastole). Ruptures of these plaques can cause clots in may however result or cause myocardial infarctions, due to a sudden yet complete blockage of a coronary artery.