Heart Diseases

Arrhythmias  Altered heart rhythm  Fibrillation: small area of heart contracts in a chaotic fashion.  Atrial fibrillation not so serious  Ventrical fibrillation is serious-messes up pumping of blood to body and lungs.

Arrhythmia  Tachycardia- rapid heart beat  Bradycardia-slow heart beat

Blood Vessel Disorders  Atherosclerosis : fatty materials like cholesterol deposit on arterial walls forming plaques.  Plaques can be sites for blood clots to form.  This decreases blood flow, and makes arteries less stretchy and hard.

Blood Vessel Disorders  Sclerotic vessels can rupture causing strokes, or prevent flow of blood downstream of clots causing tissue to die.

Blood Vessel Disorders  Aneurysms: weakened artery from atherosclerosis creates a sac that can press on nearby organs or rupture.  Phlebitis: Inflammation of veins  Varicose veins: abnormal dilations of veins near surface of legs.

Hypertension  High Blood Pressure: BP above 120/80  Can be caused by arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis  Can cause strokes, cerebral vascular attack (CVA) or ischemic attack (TVA)

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)  Coronary Arteries that feed the heart are blocked by atherosclerosis  Angina Pectoris: symptom of CAD= pain in the chest under sternum.  Can cause myocardial infarction=heart attack.

Test and Treatments for CAD  ECG-painless test that measures the electrical activity of the heart.  Coronary Angiography: special dye and xrays to see inside coronary arteries to look for blockage of blood flow.

Test and Treatments  Coronary angioplasty : catheter is sent up the femoral artery into the coronary arteries bringing a balloon to inflate to stretch the artery. Sometimes a stint is inserted to help keep the artery opened.  Coronary bypass surgery: blocked artery is bypassed using another artery from the body

Heart Attack (myocardial infarction, MI)  Heart does not get enough oxygen and heart cells die-most common cause is atherosclerosis.  Ventricular fibrillations can cause MI

Symptom of Heart Attack  Chest pain or discomfort. center or left side of the chest, can feel like pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. It also can feel like heartburn or indigestion.  Upper body discomfort. pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or upper part of the stomach.  Shortness of breath. when resting or doing a little bit of physical activity.  Breaking out in a cold sweat  Feeling unusually tired for no reason, sometimes for days (especially if you are a woman)  Nausea (feeling sick to the stomach) and vomiting  Light-headedness or sudden dizziness

Risk Factors for Heart Disease  Smoking Smoking  High blood pressure High blood pressure  High blood cholesterol High blood cholesterol  Overweight and obesity Overweight and obesity  An unhealthy diet (for example, a diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium)  Lack of routine physical activityphysical activity  High blood sugar due to insulin resistance or diabetesinsulin resistancediabetes