cardiovascular disease Flashcards
coronary heart disease
occurs when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the heart muscle get blocked by a build up of layers of fatty material
effect of CHD
causes arteries to become narrow so blood flow is reduced, resulting in a lack of oxygen, in severe cases leading to a heart attack
stents
tubes that are inserted inside arteries to keep them open, making sure blood can flow through to the heart muscles
how does a stent help treat coronary heart disease?
it expands within the artery to widen the lumen
4 advantages of stents
-have an almost immediate effect
-can last a long time
-surgery is quick
-lower the risk of heart attack
2 disadvantages of stents
-risk of thrombosis (blood clot)
-surgery has risks of complications
statins
drugs that reduce the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol present in the bloodstream, slowing down the rate of fatty deposits forming
how do statins help treat coronary heart disease?
they decrease the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood and increase the amount of HDL cholesterol in the blood
4 advantages of statins
-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
3 disadvantages of statins
-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
two problems caused by faulty heart valves
-blood can pass through backwards (leaky)
-not enough blood can pass through the valve (stiff)
why can the valves be damaged?
-heart attacks
-infection
-old age
effect of a leaky/stiff valve
blood flows in the wrong direction so it doesn’t circulate as effectively as normal, patients may become breathless
biological valve
valves taken from humans or other mammals
mechanical valve
man-made valve
2 advantages of artificial valves
-less drastic procedure than a heart transplant
-work well
3 disadvantages of artificial valves
-still a major surgery
-risk of blood clots
-doesn’t last as long
treatments for heart failure
-replacement with artificial heart
-replacement with biological heart
artificial hearts
-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
advantage of artificial hearts
-less likely to be rejected
disadvantages of artificial hearts
-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
advantages of biological hearts
-last longer
disadvantages of biological hearts
-more likely to be rejected
-risky surgery
why are artificial hearts less likely to be rejected than biological?
-made of metal or plastic so immune system doesn’t recognise them as foreign unlike biological hearts
