Chapter 11 The Cardiovascular System, Pathology

The Heart: Myocardial Infarction  M.I. = Coronary = Heart Attack  Occurs due to lack of blood (oxygen) to cardiac cells Symptoms:  Angina: Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone  Discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat, or arm  Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling (may feel like heartburn)  Sweating, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness  Extreme weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath  Palpatations: Rapid or irregular heartbeats

Atherosclerosis/Arteriosclerosis  Atherosclerosis – Fatty build-up inside of arteries decrease size of lumen and inhibit blood flow.  Aorta and coronary arteries are especially susceptible to atherosclerosis  Arteriosclerosis – End stage of atherosclerosis.  Smooth muscle cells and elastic tissue in the tunica media die, and are replaced by nonelastic scar tissue.  Weakened arterial walls could balloon into an aneurysm.

Aneurysm  Ballooning of an artery wall, can rupture leading to hemorrhage.  Common in the abdomen aorta, and arteries of the brain and kidneys.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis

Embolism  A thrombus is a blood clot that forms in an unbroken blood vessel.  If it breaks away and floats through the blood stream, it becomes an embolus.  An embolus can flow through the blood vessels until it reaches a vessel too small to pass through. It then blocks blood flow to tissues down stream.  Could be life threatening if the embolus blocks tissues in vital organs: lungs, heart, brain

Embolism

The Heart: Congestive Heart Failure  A progressive condition that reflects a weakening of the heart by coronary atherosclerosis (clogging the coronary arteries)  Left side failure leads to pulmonary edema  Right side continues to send blood to lungs, but left side doesn’t remove blood to systemic circulation.  Blood vessels in lungs begin to leak fluid into the lungs. Could lead to death by suffocation.  Right side failure leads to peripheral edema  Most noticeable in distal parts of the body: feet, ankles, and fingers become swollen  Failure of one side of the heart strains the other side, and could lead to cardiac arrest.

BloodCirculation Figure 11.3 Cardiovascular System: Anatomy

Varicose Veins  Common in people who stand for long periods of time, and in obese (or pregnant individuals) 1.Lack of activity causes blood to pool in the feet and legs. 2.Over-full veins causes valves to give way, resulting in dilated, twisted veins 3.Thrombophlebitis could occur: blood clot forms in a varicose vein. 4.Clot breaks free, get trapped in blood vessels of the lungs leading to a pulmonary embolism (life-threatening)

Varicose Veins