Cardiovascular diseases

Heart Attack

blockage of blood flow to the heart, causing the heart to lose oxygen and tissue dies

Heart attack symptoms

chest discomfort, upper body discomfort, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, and light headedness

Atherosclerosis

inflammatory disease of the vessel walls when fatty deposits cause the vessel wall to stiffen

coronary artery disease

when arteriosclerosis affects coronary arteries and compromises the function of the heart

Plaque

composed of lipids, connective tissue, and calcium deposits

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)

coronary bypass surgery where a new vessel is connected from the aorta to the affected coronary artery, highly invasive surgery

Hypertension

high blood pressure

risk factors for hypertension

genetics, sex, high cholesterol levels, obesity, chronic stress, cigarette smoking

Atrial fibrillation

quivering of the atria that can lead to emboli formation and stroke

Ventricular fibrillation

quivering of the ventricles that can lead to cardiac arrest

Stress test

patient does physical activity while hooked up to an ECG so doctors can look for signs of heart disease

Congestive Heart Failure

heart pumping inadequately causes blood to build up in venous system, causes edema in tissues and blood backs up into the lungs

Alpha blockers

blocks sympathetic NS receptors in blood vessels, dilates vessels and decreases BP

Beta blockers

blocks sympathetic NS receptors in the heart, decreases contractility and decreases workload on the heart

Calcium channel blockers

block calcium channels to decrease calcium stores in muscle to decrease contractility in heart cells and decrease stroke volume

risk factors of cardiovascular disease

hypertension, diabetes, obesity, high total cholesterol

blood changes due to aging

decreased hematocrit leading to less oxygen delivery, increased clot likelihood, pooling of blood in the legs due to valve deterioration

blood vessel changes due to aging

arteries are less elastic and more prone to rupture, plaque build up and calcification reduce blood flow

heart changes due to aging

changes in nodal/conducting cells, reduced elasticity in cardiac skeleton, progression atherosclerosis/valve stiffening, scar tissue replaces cardiac muscle