Cardiovascular Flashcards
Coronary artery bypass graft
- redirects blood around a section of a blocked or partially blocked artery in your heart.
- taking a healthy blood vessel from your leg, arm or chest and connecting it below and above the blocked arteries in your heart.
Anoxia
No O2
Angina
caused by Ischemia (low blood flow) in the coronary arteries, which would then lead to hypoxia
Women can also experience “unrelated” symptoms during a heart attack
- nausea
- SOB
- abdominal pain
- stabbing pain
Nitroglycerin (can be used for anginal attacks)
- helps relax the blood vessels (vasodilation)
- can have systemic effects
- wear gloves when administering the patches
hyperlipidemia
high levels of lipids in the blood
causes (hyperlipidemia)
- diet
- drugs
- hereditary
dysrhythmias/arrhythmias (diagnostics)
-ECG or EKG: tracks the electrical impulses of the heart
etiology (dysrhythmias/arrhythmias)
- angina
- drugs
- impaired CO
- age-related
Atrial fibrillation (A. Fib)
- total disorganization of atrial electrical activity due to multiple ectopic foci, resulting in loss of effective atrial contraction
- most common dysrhythmia
- risk increases with age
- can cause blood clots due to inadequate blood flow
drugs for HR control
- digoxin
- beta andregenergic blockers
- calcium channel blockers
anticoagulatory drugs
warfarin
stenosis
narrowed blood vessels and/or structure
arterial insufficiency (PAD)
narrowed arteries at the periphery, which can lead to insufficient tissue perfusion
venous insufficiency (PVD)
- inadequate return of venous blood from the periphery to the heart
- can lead to blood stasis (blood pooling), which can also lead to blood clotting as well as edema
treatment (PVD)
- weight reduction
- reducing fat intake
- lipid reduction
- reverse trendelenburg
- moderate exercise & rest
gangrene/phantom pain (amputation)
the feeling of pain & discomfort in the missing limb
footcare
-different care for PVD and diabetes
Nursing goal (PAD)
adequate peripheral tissue perfusion
- warm, dry intact skin
- good cap refill
- normal peripheral pulses
-color, warmth, movement, sensation (CWMS)
=if u notice redness, press down on it to see if it blanches, if it’s non-blanchable, that’s a concern
-free of pain
chronic venous insufficiency d/t faulty valves
- edema with increased venous pressure
- thick brown skin around the ankles (gaiter skin)
- venous stasis ulcers
Normal changes with aging
- aorta becomes dilated & elongated
- cardiac output (CO) decreases
- blood vessel elasticity decreases
- BP increases to compensate for the increased peripheral resistance & decreased CO
- Valves become thicker and more rigid
- stroke volume (SV) decreases
- less efficient 02 use of the heart
- slight Left ventricular hypertrophy
the heart muscle (myocardium) loses efficiency & contractile strength=reduced cardiac output (CO)
pacemaker cells in the SA node decrease in the number
cardiac cycle (systolic filling & diastolic emptying) requires more time
tachycardia lasts for a longer time, which can cause the stroke volume to increase in order to compensate, resulting in high BP
fibrosis, calcium & lipid accumulation and cellular proliferation of the vessels (tunica intima)
thinning & calcification of elastin & an increase in the collagen of the vessels (tunica media)
impaired baroreceptors
Homan’s sign
pain when the affected leg is dorsiflexed, usually associated with deep phlebitis of the leg
Cardiovascular health promotion
-healthy diet: =low fat =less salt =high fiber intake =vegetables =whole grains =reduce intake of red meat, sugar & highly processed foods =limit alcohol
-exercise
=30 mins of moderate physical activity for 5 days OR
=20 mins of vigorous physical activity for 3 days
- avoid smoking & second-hand smoke
- manage stress
S&S (general)
dizziness
light-headedness
edema
cold extremities
palpitations
blackouts
breathing difficulties
coughing
hemoptysis (spitting of blood)
chest pain
unusual sensations in the chest, neck, back or jaws
scaling skin
discoloration
nursing assessment
ask the pt for any changes in physical or mental function:
-do u have difficulty or have u noticed any changes in ur ability to walk, work or take care of urself?
- do u have periods where ur thinking doesn’t seem clear?
- have u had to restrict activities or change ur lifestyle recently?
assess their lifestyle practices
-how often do u exercise? how long? how intense?
- what is ur pattern of alcohol consumption?
- do u consume drugs? if so what type & how frequent?
- do you take any supplements? if so, what are they?
- do u do anything to promote health such as following a diet?
