Circulation aids Flashcards

1
Q

What are circulation aids?

A
  • Artificial blood
  • Artificial hearts and heart valves
  • Stents
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is artificial blood?

A

It is a blood substitute, which is used to replace the lost volume of blood.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How can artificial blood keep you alive in an emergency?

A

When you loose a lot of blood, the heart can still pump the remaining red blood cells around to get oxygen to your organs, as long as the volume of blood can be topped up (it can keep you alive even if 2/3 of your red blood cells are lost).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Is artificial blood safe?

A

It’s safe as long as no air bubbles get into the blood.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

When will a patient need a blood transfusion?

A

If the patient does not have enough time to produce new red blood cells.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are artificial hearts?

A

Mechanical devices that are put into a person to pump blood if their own heart fails.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are artificial hearts usually used as?

A

A temporary fix, to keep a person alive until a donor heard Is found.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Occasionally what are artificial hearts used as?

A

A permanent fix, reducing the need for a donor heart.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What’s the main advantage of an artificial heart?

A

They’re not rejected by the body’s immune system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Why aren’t artificial hearts rejected by the body’s immune system?

A

Because they’re made from metals or plastics, so the body doesn’t recognise them as ‘foreign’ and attack in the same way as it does with living tissue.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the disadvantages of artificial hearts?

A
  • Surgery to fit them can lead to bleeding and infection.
  • They don’t work as well as healthy natural hearts.
  • Parts of the heart could wear out.
  • The electrical motor could fail.
  • Blood doesn’t flow through artificial hearts as smoothly, which can cause blood clots and lead to strokes, meaning the patient has to take drugs to thin their blood (which can cause problems with bleeding If hurt in an accident).
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

If only heart valves are defective, what can they be replaced with?

A

Mechanical valves.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What happens when we replace a valve with a mechanical one?

A

Replacing a valve is much less drastic, although major surgery is till required to fit them and problems still can occur with blood clotting.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are stents?

A

They are tubes that are inserted inside arteries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What do stents do?

A

They keep arteries open, making sure blood can pass through to the heart muscles (keeping a persons heart beating, and them alive).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What disease may require the aid of stents?

A

Coronary heart disease, as they lower the risk of heart attack in that person with this disease.

17
Q

What is coronary heart disease?

A

When the arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by fatty deposits, causing arteries to become narrow restricting blood flow, which can result in a heart attack.

18
Q

What can happen to an artery with stents over time?

A

They can irritate the artery making scar tissue grow, causing the artery to narrow again (the patient also has to take drugs to stop blood clotting in the stent).