Organisation - Cardiovascular Disease 63-65

Question 1

What is coronary heart disease
3 points

Answer 1

1) when the coronary arteries get blocked by layers of fatty material building up
2) this causes the arteries to become narrow so blood flow is restricted and there’s a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle
3) this can result in a heart attack

Question 2

what are coronary arteries

Answer 2

arteries that supply blood to the muscle of the heart

Question 3

what is a way of lowering the risk of heart attack in people with CHD

Answer 3

stents

Question 4

what are stents
2 points

Answer 4

1) tubes inserted inside arteries to keep them open making sure blood can flow through
2) they push the artery wall out, squashing fatty deposit

Question 5

what are some advantages and disadvantages to stents
5 points

Answer 5

1) effective for a long time
2) recovery time from surgery is relatively quick
3) but risk of complication during surgery (heart attack)
4) risk of infection from surgery
5) risk of developing a blood clot near the stent - thrombosis

Question 6

what is cholesterol

Answer 6

an essential lipid that your body produces and needs to function properly

Question 7

why can cholesterol be bad
3 points

Answer 7

1) having too much of a ‘bad’ or LDL cholesterol can cause health problems
2) too much LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream can cause fatty deposits to form inside arteries
3) this can lead to CHD

Question 8

what do statins do

Answer 8

1) they are drugs that reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream
2) this slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming

Question 9

what are the advantages of statins
3 points

Answer 9

1) reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol so can reduce the risk of strokes, CHD and heart attacks
2) increase the amount of ‘good’ or HDL cholesterol in your bloodstream which can remove LDL from the blood
3) may prevent other diseases

Question 10

what are the disadvantages of having statins
3 points

Answer 10

1) long-term drugs so must be taken regularly people may forget
2) negative side effects e.g. headaches, kidney failure, liver damage and memory
3) effect isn’t instant and takes time to kick in

Question 11

what are some solutions to heart failure
2 points

Answer 11

1) heart transplant
2) artificial heart

Question 12

what are artificial hearts
3 points

Answer 12

1) they are mechanical devices that pump blood for a person whose own heart has failed
2) usually only temporary fix until a donor heart is found
3) in some cases they’re used as a permanent fix which reduces need for donor heart

Question 13

what are the advantages to an artificial heart
2 points

Answer 13

1) they’re less likely to be rejected by the body’s immune system than a donor heart
2) because they are made from metals or plastics, so the body doesn’t recognise them as ‘foreign’ and attack them

Question 14

what are the disadvantages to and artificial heart
5 points

Answer 14

1) the surgery to fit them can lead to bleeding and infection
2) they don’t work as well as healthy real ones - parts of the heart could wear our or the electric motor could fail
3) blood doesn’t flow smoothly through them and can lead to blood clots and strokes
4) patient has to take drugs to thin their blood so this doesn’t happen
5) this can cause problems with bleeding if they’re hurt

Question 15

how can valves in the heart be damaged
3 points

Answer 15

1) heart attacks
2) infection
3) old age

Question 16

what can be caused by a damaged heart valve

Answer 16

1) cause valve tissue to stiffen so won’t open properly
2) may become leaky, so blood can flow in both directions
3) so blood doesn’t circulate as efficiently as normal

Question 17

how can severe valve damage be treated

Answer 17

1) replacement valves can be taken from humans or other mammals - biological valves
2) or they can be man-made - mechanical valves
3) the surgery to replace them can cause blood clots

Question 18

what is artificial blood
2 points

Answer 18

1) it’s a blood substitute e.g. a salt solution (‘saline’)
2) it is used to replace the lost volume of blood

Question 19

why is artificial blood useful
3 points

Answer 19

1) in an accident a heart can still pump the remaining red blood cells around as long as the volume of their blood can be topped up
2) it’s safe and can keep alive if they’ve lost blood in an accident
3) may give the patient enough time to produce new blood cells of not they would need a blood transfusion