Myocardial Infarction/Angina Flashcards
What is the definition and description of a myocardial infarction?
- Myocardial infarction referred to as heart attack, occurs when blood flow brings oxygen to heart is reduced, causing heart muscle tissue to be without oxygen
- Spasm of coronary artery shuts down blood flow to heart muscle
What are the key risk factors for a myocardial infarction?
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Elevated levels of cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Poor diet
- Excessive alcohol intake
What are signs and symptoms for a myocardial infarction?
- Chest discomfort or pain, which may spread to neck or jaw
- Light headedness/dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea/vomiting
- Cold sweats/sweating
- Fatigue
- Angina
- Rapid/irregular heartbeats
What is the cause and prognosis of a myocardial infarction?
- MI, occurs from a blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries
- Abruptly impairs blood flow, causing the heart muscle tissue to be without oxygen
- Results in damage or death to the heart tissue
- Blockages to these blood vessels can be brought about by accumulations of plaque, cholesterol and/or cellular waste products
What is surgical or medical management for a myocardial infarction?
- Early medical management prevents heart muscle damage
- Aspirin used to thin blood and prevent clotting
- MI diagnosed via ECG and blood tests
- ECG record electrical activity of heart, confirms cardiac event has occurred because injured heart muscles don’t create normal impulses
What is the impact of a myocardial infarction on ones occupational performance?
- Symptoms causes increased difficulty managing occupations
- Patients commonly have precautions after cardiac procedures, impacting OP
- Functional transfers, bed mobility are modified to maintain precautions
- Household chores, work tasks, play/leisure activities often limited after procedures due to lifting restrictions
What is the role of the OT in managing a myocardial infarction?
- OT assist clients to regain functional activity, focus on improvement of activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and enhance ones self-esteem that may have declined
- Educating cardiac and metabolic demands, facilitating and monitoring client participation when cardiac output increases
- Home adaptations, fatigue management
What is the involvement of other health professionals in managing a myocardial infarction?
- General Practitioner: overlook how patient is going with rehabilitation and medications
- Physiotherapist: exercise strategies to manage condition
- Pharmacist: discuss medications and any side effects
What is Angina?
-Chest discomfort that occurs when there is a decreased blood oxygen supply to an area of the heart muscle.
-lack of blood supply is due to a narrowing of the coronary arteries as a result of arteriosclerosis
-Occurs during exertion, severe emotional stress, or after a heavy meal.
-Heart muscle demands more blood oxygen than the narrowed coronary arteries can deliver.
Lasts from 1 to 15 minutes and is relieved by rest
What are the signs and symptoms of angina?
- Occurs during exertion, severe emotional stress
- Pain or discomfort in middle of chest
- Accompanied by breathlessness and sweating
- Pressure/tightness in chest
- Radiating pain neck, jaw, (L) arm
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Light headedness
- Weakness
How is angina diagnosed?
- ECG detecting heart’s electrical activity
- Stress testing
- Chest xray
- Blood tests
What treatment is involved with managing angina and what is the primary goal of treatment?
- Lifestyle changes
- Medication
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- Main goal is to reduce pain and discomfort, how often it occurs
- Prevent/lower risk of heart attack and death by treating underlying heart condition
What does the term MET mean?
- Metabolic equivalent table
- Activities are graded in 6 levels from minimal or less than 1.5 METS to excessively severe, or 7 or more METS
- The standard metabolic equivalent is a unit to estimate the amount of oxygen used by body during physical activity
- The breakdown of activities by MET greatly helps the appropriate choosing of activity and the daily design of productive tasks at the patients level of energy expenditure
What are some medication used to treat angina?
- Nitroglycerin tablet under the tongue
- Nitroglycerin relaxes the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure
- Both rest and nitroglycerin decrease the heart muscles demand for oxygen, relieving angina
