4.2.2.4 Coronary heart disease: a non-communicable disease

What is coronary heart disease?

When the coronary arteries that provide blood to the heart become blocked with the build up of fatty material which results in less blood flowing to the heart, reducing its oxygen supply

What are the solutions for coronary heart disease?

Stents and statins

What are stents and what do they do?

Metal mesh tubes inserted in arteries which keep the arteries open to allow blood to flow through

What are the benefits of stents?

They are effective in lowering the risk of a heart attack and the recovery time from surgery is quick

What are the risks of stents?

There’s risk of a heart attack during the procedure or that infection could occur following it and there’s a chance that blood clots can form near the stent (thrombosis)

What are statins and what do they do?

Drugs that decrease the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, which would otherwise lead to coronary heart disease

What are the benefits of statins?

They reduce the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease, heart attacks and they increase the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol

What are the risks of statins?

They need to be taken continuously which may be an inconvenience, can produce side effects, may not have an immediate effect as it only slows down the rate it is deposited

What are faulty valves?

When a heart valve becomes so stiff it can’t open or it’s damaged so it leaks, blood flows in the wrong direction which means the heart doesn’t work as efficiently as it should

What are the solutions for faulty valves?

Replacing it with a biological or mechanical valve

What is a benefit for biological valves?

They work very well

What is a risk for biological valves?

They only last 12-15 years

What is a benefit for mechanical valves?

They last for a long time

What is a risk for mechanical valves?

Constant medication is needed to stop blood from clotting around the valve

How can heart failure be resolved?

Heart transplant

What is a benefit of heart transplants?

They’re less likely to be rejected by the immune system

What are the risks of heart transplants?

Surgery temporarily leaves the body exposed to infection, as it is mechanical, parts of it could wear out and the motor could fail, blood clots could form leading to strokes

How can extreme blood loss be resolved?

By giving artificial blood

What is a benefit of giving artficial blood?

The patient will have more time to produce new blood cells

What is a risk of giving artificial blood?

It can only be used for short periods of time before a blood transfusion has to take place