Final answer:
Acute cardiovascular illnesses include Myocardial Infarction (heart attack), Pulmonary Embolism, and Aortic Dissection. Hypertension, although related to cardiovascular diseases, is a chronic condition rather than an acute one.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three types of acute cardiovascular illnesses are Myocardial Infarction (MI), Pulmonary Embolism (PE), and Aortic Dissection. Myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow and oxygen to a part of the heart are blocked, leading to the death of cardiac cells. Pulmonary embolism is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs, often caused by blood clots that travel from the legs or other parts of the body to the lungs. Aortic dissection is a serious condition where there is a tear in the wall of the major artery carrying blood out of the heart (aorta), which can cause life-threatening bleeding or death.
Hypertension, listed as the fourth option, is not an acute condition but a chronic one that can lead to other cardiovascular diseases, including the three acute conditions mentioned.