Coronary Heart Disease Flashcards
What type of disease is Coronary Heart Disease?
A non-communicable disease
What is Coronary Heart Disease?
Layers of fatty materials building up inside the coronary arteries, narrowing them
What can faulty valves prevent themselves from doing?
Opening fully
Might develop a leak
What can faulty heart valves be replaced with?
Biological or mechanical valves
How does narrow arteries affect the heart muscle?
The flow of blood is reduced, resulting in a lack of oxygen for the heart muscle
What do stents do?
Keep the coronary arteries open
What are statins used for?
To reduce blood cholesterol levels which slows down the rate of fatty material deposit
What are artificial hearts used for?
Keep patients alive whilst waiting for heart or lungs to be transplanted or to aid recovery by letting the heart restore
What happens in the case of a heart failure?
A donor heart or heart and lungs are replaced
What is aortic valve replacement and what is it used for?
A type of open heart surgery used to treat problems with the hearts aortic valves
What does the aortic valve control?
The flow of blood out from the heart to the rest of the body
What does an aortic valve replacement involve?
Removing a faulty or damaged valve and replacing it with a new one made from synthetic materials or animal tissue
What two reasons are there for the aortic valve needing replacing?
Aortic stenosis
Aortic regurgitation
What is aortic stenosis?
The opening of the heart valve becoming smaller, obstructing the flow of blood out of the heart
What is aortic regurgitation?
The valve allows blood to flow back into the heart
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of treating cardiovascular diseases by drugs, mechanical devices or transplant
- Statins reduce blood cholesterol but can have side effects such as liver damage and muscle pain
- Aspirins reduce the chance of blood clots but may cause stomach bleeding
- Immune suppressants prevent tissue rejection after a heart transplant but the immune system gets weakened and the patient is likely to get infected
What are the side effects of stents?
Minor surgery
Risk of blood clots
What are the side effects of a mechanical heart?
The patient must be kept in intensive care
What are the benefits of heart transplants?
Increases longevity. The patient is able to live autonomously
What are the side effects of heart transplants?
Immune system is weakened
What are the benefits of pig valves?
Replace hardened or leaky heart valves. Considerably expand lifespan
What are the side effects of pig valves?
Immune suppressants can allow infections to develop
What are the benefits of mechanical valves?
Replace damaged valves
Improved lifestyle and lifestyle
What are the side effects of mechanical valves?
Only last a few years
Major operation
