cardiovascular disease

Question 1

coronary heart disease

Answer 1

occurs when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the heart muscle get blocked by a build up of layers of fatty material

Question 2

effect of CHD

Answer 2

causes arteries to become narrow so blood flow is reduced, resulting in a lack of oxygen, in severe cases leading to a heart attack

Question 3

stents

Answer 3

tubes that are inserted inside arteries to keep them open, making sure blood can flow through to the heart muscles

Question 4

how does a stent help treat coronary heart disease?

Answer 4

it expands within the artery to widen the lumen

Question 5

4 advantages of stents

Answer 5

-have an almost immediate effect
-can last a long time
-surgery is quick
-lower the risk of heart attack

Question 6

2 disadvantages of stents

Answer 6

-risk of thrombosis (blood clot)
-surgery has risks of complications

Question 7

statins

Answer 7

drugs that reduce the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol present in the bloodstream, slowing down the rate of fatty deposits forming

Question 8

how do statins help treat coronary heart disease?

Answer 8

they decrease the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood and increase the amount of HDL cholesterol in the blood

Question 9

4 advantages of statins

Answer 9

-reduce risk of strokes, CHD and heart attacks
-can also increase amount of good cholesterol which can also remove bad cholesterol
-may also prevent other diseases
-no surgery required

Question 10

3 disadvantages of statins

Answer 10

-long-term drug that must be taken regularly, risk of forgetting to take
-sometimes cause negative side effects e.g effect kidneys
-effect of statins isn’t instant and takes time for them to kick in

Question 11

two problems caused by faulty heart valves

Answer 11

-blood can pass through backwards (leaky)
-not enough blood can pass through the valve (stiff)

Question 12

why can the valves be damaged?

Answer 12

-heart attacks
-infection
-old age

Question 13

effect of a leaky/stiff valve

Answer 13

blood flows in the wrong direction so it doesn’t circulate as effectively as normal, patients may become breathless

Question 14

biological valve

Answer 14

valves taken from humans or other mammals

Question 15

mechanical valve

Answer 15

man-made valve

Question 16

2 advantages of artificial valves

Answer 16

-less drastic procedure than a heart transplant
-work well

Question 17

3 disadvantages of artificial valves

Answer 17

-still a major surgery
-risk of blood clots
-doesn’t last as long

Question 18

treatments for heart failure

Answer 18

-replacement with artificial heart
-replacement with biological heart

Question 19

artificial hearts

Answer 19

-mechanical devices that pump blood for a person whose own heart has failed
-temporary fix to keep a person alive until a donor heart can be found

Question 20

advantage of artificial hearts

Answer 20

-less likely to be rejected

Question 21

disadvantages of artificial hearts

Answer 21

-surgery can lead to bleeding and infection
-don’t work as well as natural ones (parts could wear out or electrical motor fail)
-blood doesn’t flow through smoothly which can cause blood clots and lead to strokes
-patient has to take drugs to thin blood

Question 22

advantages of biological hearts

Answer 22

-last longer

Question 23

disadvantages of biological hearts

Answer 23

-more likely to be rejected
-risky surgery

Question 24

why are artificial hearts less likely to be rejected than biological?

Answer 24

-made of metal or plastic so immune system doesn’t recognise them as foreign unlike biological hearts

Question 25

artificial blood

Answer 25

blood substitute used to replace the lost volume of blood in an emergency

Question 26

what is a heart bypass?

Answer 26

a surgery where blocked coronary arteries are replaced with sections of veins taken from other parts of the body

Question 27

advantage of mechanical valve

Answer 27

last for a long time

Question 28

disadvantage of mechanical valve

Answer 28

need to take medication to prevent blood clotting