Cardiovascular disease Flashcards
what is cardiovascular disease?
this is the term used to describe diseases of the heart or blood vessles
what is coronary heart disease?
•this is when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by built up layers of fatty deposit
•this causes arteries to become narrow so blood flow is restricted and there is a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle
•this can result in a heart attack
what are stents?
•Tubes that are inserted inside arteries to keep them open making sure blood can pass through to the heart muscle
•This keeps the person’s heart beating (keeping them alive)
what are the advantages of stents?
•they lower risk of heart attack with people with coronary heart disease
•they are effective for a long time
•recovery time from surgery is relatively quick
what are the disadvantages of stents?
•risk of complications during operation e.g. heart attack
•risk of infection from surgery
•risk of patient developing a blood clot near the stent (thrombosis)
what is cholesterol?
•an essential lipid that the body produces and needs to function properly
what happens if you have too much cholesterol?
•too much of ‘bad cholesterol’ can cause health problems
•too much of this in the bloodstream can cause build up of fatty deposits inside arteries leading the coronary heart disease
what are statins?
•drugs that reduce the amount of bad cholesterol present in the blood stream
•this slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming
what are the advantages of statins?
•reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in blood reducing risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attacks
•can increase the amount of good cholesterol in your bloodstream. This type can remove bad cholesterol from blood
what are the disadvantages of statins?
•can cause serious side effects e.g. kidney failure, liver damage and memory loss
•must be taken long term and regularly- risk of patient forgetting to take them
•the effect of statins aren’t instant- takes time for them to kick in
what are artificial hearts and when are they used?
•they are mechanical devices that pump blood for a person whose own heart has failed
•they’re usually only used as a temporary fix to keep a person alive until a donor heart can be found or used to to help the heart rest and heal while in recovery
what are the advantages of artificial hearts?
•in some cases they’re used as a permanent fix which reduces the need for a heart donor
•they’re less likely to be rejected by the immune system than a donor heart as they’re made from metals or plastics so the body doesn’t recognise them as “foreign” and attack in the same way it does to living tissue
what are the disadvantages of artificial hearts?
•surgery to fit an artificial heart can lead to bleeding and infection
•artificial hearts don’t work as well ell as healthy natural ones as part of the heart could wear out or the electrical motor could fail
•blow doesn’t flow thoroughly through artificial hearts as smoothly which can lead to blood clotting and strokes this means patient will have to take drugs to thin their blood to prevent blood clotting which can lead to bleeding problems if they are hurt in an accident
when may someone’s valves need to be replaced?
•when the valves are weakened by heart attacks, infection or old age
•this may cause the valve tissue to stiffen and not open properly
what are replacement valves made from?
•biological replacement valves are from human or other mammals like cows or pigs
•mechanical valves are man made
