Cardiac Disease 1
Len Sperry in Behavioral Health, 2013
Some of the more common heart diseases and conditions are briefly described. Coronary artery disease occurs when coronary arteries, the vessels that supply blood to heart muscle, become hardened and narrowed due to the buildup of cholesterol and other material, called plaque, on their inner walls. As the plaque increases in size, the inner surfaces of the coronary arteries get narrower and less blood can flow through them. Eventually, blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced, and, because blood carries much-needed oxygen, the heart muscle is not able to receive the amount of oxygen it needs. Reduced or cutoff blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart muscle can result in angina; that is, chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart receives an insufficient supply of blood. It is a symptom of coronary artery disease rather than a separate disease entity. Heart failure, commonly referred to as congestive heart failure, is a condition of ineffective heart pumping such that vital organs get insufficient blood, resulting in such signs and symptoms as shortness of breath, fluid retention, and fatigue. It results when heart failure has led to fluid buildup in the body. Finally, myocardial infarction, commonly called heart attack, happens when a blood clot develops at the site of plaque in a coronary artery and suddenly cuts off most or all blood supply to that part of the heart muscle. Cells in the heart muscle begin to die if they do not receive enough oxygen-rich blood. The result can be permanent damage to the heart muscle or death.
Overview of randomised trials of percutaneous coronary intervention: Comparison with medical and surgical therapy
Ever D. Grech in Practical Interventional Cardiology, 2017
Coronary artery disease remains among the top most causes of morbidity and mortality globally. There have been substantial improvements in medical therapy to prevent and treat coronary artery disease. However, patients with prognostically significant disease or anginal symptoms despite optimal medical therapy (OMT) require coronary revascularisation with either coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). CABG was the main revascularisation modality during the second half of 20th century; however, PCI has now become the preferred mode of revascularisation in patients with one- or two-vessel disease. Nevertheless, the optimal therapy in patients with multi-vessel disease and/or unprotected left main stem (LMS) disease has remained debatable and is the subject of many clinical trials in recent years. This chapter discusses the current status and the evidence-based use of PCI in the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease.
Deaths Following Cardiac Surgery and Invasive Interventions
Mary N. Sheppard in Practical Cardiovascular Pathology, 2022
Percutaneous coronary angiography and interventions performed via the femoral or radial arteries are the most frequent treatment options now for coronary artery disease (CAD). With the use of very powerful antiplatelet agents to prevent clotting during the procedure, there is a risk of significant bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, followed by the arterial puncture site used during catheterization, which is usually the groin. The risk is greater with women, elderly patients and those with hypertension. Thus, a pathologist must check carefully for internal haemorrhage in these patients and inspect wound sites as well as the groin carefully, to look for a large haematoma (Fig. 9.1). Major vascular complications of ilio-femoral arterial access after PCI are now infrequent due to the use of smaller catheters and better anticlotting agents. Routine endovascular repair of vascular complications is becoming the treatment of choice, especially for patients who cannot tolerate vascular surgery due to advanced cardiovascular disease or are in a bailout situation.
The risk of cardiovascular disease in women with a history of miscarriage and/or stillbirth
Published in Health Care for Women International, 2019
Farnoosh Asgharvahedi, Leila Gholizadeh, Soraya Siabani
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of premature mortality in women (Wagner, Bhattacharya, Visser, Hannaford, & Bloemenkamp, 2015). CVD generally refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system, and includes but not limited to coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular disease (stroke). Coronary heart disease/ischemic heart disease/coronary artery disease refers to narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries, usually caused by atherosclerosis (Mosca et al., 2011). Common risk factors for CVD include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity, age, and family history. Although men and women share many CVD risk factors and exhibit overlap in clinical presentations, there exist important gender-based differences. Some risk factors are exclusive to women or affect women disproportionately (Leifheit-Limson et al., 2015). Diabetes, for example, is a greater risk factor for developing CVD in women than men and factors related to childbirth and menopause are unique to women (Peters, Huxley, & Woodward, 2014). The incidence of CVD is similar in men and women after menopause (Mosca et al., 2011).
Arcuate artery calcification on transvaginal sonography may predict coronary artery heart disease
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2019
Mustafa Sengul, Emre Ekmekci, Emine Demirel, Raziye Torun, Nihan Kahya Eren, Sefa Kelekci
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality, especially in women. In recent years, intensive efforts have been made to detect atherosclerotic heart disease at the asymptomatic stage and to reduce the morbidity and mortality with early treatment (Bjorck et al. 2011). It is estimated that 75% of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) have asymptomatic or subclinical coronary artery disease with no symptoms of coronary artery disease. These patients have completed the standard stress tests without complications. Coronary artery symptoms are present for the first and the last time in 20% of the cases who died from coronary artery disease (Scarborough et al. 2010). Thus, CHD progresses silently for years without vascular complications. European mortality statistics report one death for almost every 1 min from cardiovascular disease (Biondi and Lafortune 2015). Arterial calcifications are generally noted as a sign of atherosclerotic disease and may be a marker for future systemic disease and cardiovascular events prediction (Schoepf et al. 2004). In recent years, non-invasive imaging techniques have been developed for analysing the major atherosclerotic disease process. Steinl and Kaufmann (2015) have proposed that among these imaging methods; ultrasonography (USG) is preferred because of its ease of transportation and low cost, compared to other methods.
Review of the international hypnosis literature
Published in American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 2022
Shelagh Freedman, Ian Wickramasekera
This study examined the use of suggestions delivered during hypnosis to lessen anxiety associated with an angiography. A coronary angiography is used to diagnosis coronary artery disease, however, both the procedure and the possibility of discovering disease are sources of anxiety. Here, 169 patients requiring their first, non-urgent angiography were split into two groups. The control group (84) had a conversational meeting with a hypnotist, while the intervention group participated in a hypnosis session in their hospital room right before leaving for the angiography unit. The hypnosis session involved post-hypnotic suggestions for self-hypnosis in the angiography so the patients could manage their potential anxiety and pain. State and trait anxiety were measured the day before the procedure, and state anxiety was measured again immediately before the procedure.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Angina
- Chest Pain
- Heartburn
- Myocardial Infarction
- Unstable Angina
- Atheroma
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Ischemia
- Cardiac Muscle
- Coronary Arteries