Cardiovascular Disease Flashcards
What is Coronary heart disease
- when the coronary arteries that supply blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by layers of fatty material building up
- This causes the arteries to become narrow, so blood flow is restricted and there’s a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle
- This can result in a heart attack
- Therefore it is life threatening
What are stents and what do they do
- They are tubes that are inserted inside arteries
- they keep them open, making sure blood can pass through to the heart muscles
- This keeps the person’s heart beating (and the person alive)
- Stents are a way of lowering the risk of a heart attack in people with coronary heart disease
- They are effective for a long time and the recovery time from the surgery is relatively quick
What is the downside to stents
- there is a risk of complications during the operation (e.g. heart attack) and a risk of infection from surgery.
- There is also the risk of patients developing a blood clot near the stent — Called thrombosis
What is cholesterol and why can it be bad
- an essential lipid that your body produces and needs to function properly
- However, too much of a certain type of cholesterol (known as LDL cholesterol) can cause health problems
- Having too much in the bloodstream can cause fatty deposits to form inside arteries, which can lead to coronary heart disease
What are statins
- Statins are drugs that can reduce the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol present in the bloodstream
- This slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming
What is the Adv to Statins
1) by reducing ‘bad’ cholesterol, statins reduce the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease and heart attacks
2) they can increase the amount of a beneficial type of cholesterol (Known as HDL cholesterol) in your bloodstream. This type can remove ‘bad’ cholesterol from the blood
3) Some studies suggest that statins ,at also help prevent some other diseases
What is the DAdv to Statins
1) has to be taken regularly, there’s a risk someone will forget to take them
2) There are some side effects such as: Headaches, kidney failure, liver damage and memory loss
3) It’s effect isn’t instant, takes time for effect to kick in
If a patient has a heart failure what can doctors do
- Heart transplant from donor
- or if no donor you can fit an artificial heart
What is an artificial heart
- mechanical device that pumps blood around your body
- temporary until donor is found or to let your heart rest and heal
- sometime permanent, reducing need for donor
What is the advantage to an artificial heart
- less likely to be rejected by the body’s immune system
- they’re made from plastics or metals —> body doesn’t recognise them as foreign and attack them
What is the disadvantage to an artificial heart
- surgery to fit it can lead to bleeding and infection
- natural health hearts work better
- parts could wear out or electrical motor might fail
- blood doesn’t flow as smoothly through it
—> might cause blood clots or strokes
—> so patient has to take drugs to thin their blood —> cause problems with bleeding
How might the valves in the heart be damaged or weakened
- heart attacks
- infection
- old age
What happens if heart valves become damaged
- valve tissue might stiffen — won’t work properly
- valve becomes leaky — blood flows both directions — blood doesn’t circulate as effective as normal
How do you fix severe valve damage
- replace the valve
- replacements from humans or other mammals (e.g. cows or pigs) — biological valves
- or they can be man made — mechanical valves
What is the problem with fitting artificial valves
- major surgery —> can be problems with blood clots
