Cardiovascular Disease and Treatments

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Cardiovascular Disease
It is a term used to describe diseases of the heart or blood vessels, fro example coronary heart disease,
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Coronary Heart Disease
It is when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by layers of fatty material building up. This causes the arteries to become narrow, so blood flow is restricted and there's a lack of O2 to the heart muscle
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Stents
They're tubes that are inserted inside arteries. They keep them open, making sure blood can pass through to the heart muscles. This keeps the person's heart beating. Stents are a way of lowering the risk of a heart attack in people with this disease.
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Stents Continued
They are effective for a long time and the recovery time from the surgery is relatively quick. However, there is a risk of complications during the operation ~(e.g heart attack) and a risk of infection from surgery.
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Stents Continued
There is also the risk of patients developing a blood clot near the stent; this is called thrombosis.
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Cholesterol
It is an essential lipid that your body produces and needs to be able to function properly. Too much of LDL cholesterol can cause health problems. Having too much of it in your bloodstream can cause fatty deposits to form inside arteries, causing CVD
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Statins
They are drugs that reduce the amount of bad cholesterol present in the bloodstream. This slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming.
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Advantages of Statins
They can reduce the risk of strokes, CVD and heart attacks. They can also increase the amount of 'good'/HDL cholesterol, which in turn can remove LDL cholesterol from the blood. They may also be able to help prevent some other diseases.
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Disadvantages of Statins
They are long-term and must be taken regularly; the patient may forget to take them. They can sometimes cause negative side effects (e.g headaches), some of which can be serious (liver damage). The effect of them isn't instant.
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Heart Transplant
If a patient has heart failure, doctors may perform a heart transplant using donor organs. However, if donor organs aren't available straight away or not the best option, doctors may fit an artificial heart instead.
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Artificial Heart
They are mechanical devices that pump blood for a person whose own heart has failed. They're usually only used as a temporary fix until a donor heart is available or to help a person recover by allowing the heart to rest and heal.
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Advantages of an Artificial Heart
They're less likely to be rejected by the immune system than a donor heart as they're made from metals or plastics, so the body doesn't recognise them as foreign and attack in the same way it does with living tissue.
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Disadvantages of an Artificial Heart
Surgery can lead to bleeding and infection. They don't work as well as healthy natural ones as parts of it could wear out or the electrical motor could fail. Blood doesn't flow through them as smoothly, which can cause blood clots and lead to strokes
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Disadvantages of an Artificial Heart Continued
The patient has to take drugs to thin their blood and make sure this doesn't happen, which can cause problems with bleeding if they're hurt in an accident.
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Valves
The valves in the heart can be damaged or weakened by heart attacks, infection or old age. The damage may cause the valve tissue to stiffen, so it won't open properly. Or a valve may become leaky, allowing blood to flow in both directions.
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Replacement Valves
They can be taken from humans or other mammals (e.g cows and pigs)- these are biological valves. Or they can be man-made- these are mechanical valves. Replacing a valve is fairly major surgery and there can be problems with blood clots.
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Artificial Blood
When someone loses a lot of blood, e.g in an accident, their heart can still pump the remaining RBCs around, as long as the volume of their blood can be topped up. Artificial blood is a blood substitute, e.g a salt solution (saline).
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Artificial Blood Continued
Artificial blood replaces the lost volume of blood. It's safe and can keep people alive even if they have lost 2/3 of their RBCs. This may give the patient time to produce new ones. If not, they'll need a blood transfusion.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

It is when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by layers of fatty material building up. This causes the arteries to become narrow, so blood flow is restricted and there's a lack of O2 to the heart muscle

Back

Coronary Heart Disease

Card 3

Front

They're tubes that are inserted inside arteries. They keep them open, making sure blood can pass through to the heart muscles. This keeps the person's heart beating. Stents are a way of lowering the risk of a heart attack in people with this disease.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

They are effective for a long time and the recovery time from the surgery is relatively quick. However, there is a risk of complications during the operation ~(e.g heart attack) and a risk of infection from surgery.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

There is also the risk of patients developing a blood clot near the stent; this is called thrombosis.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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