HEART:
Disease:
Heart diseases are a leading cause of death throughout the world. Myocardial infarction with serious damage to the left ventricular function as well as valvular heart disease continue to affect many people causing morbidity and mortality (Weber et al. 2013). Valvuar heart disease includes a condition called valvular stenosis, where the tissues in the valves become stiffer and fails to open properly, resulting in the valve opening to become narrow. This causes the blood flow to lessen due to not being able to flow thoroughly, which may cause the body to not receive proper blood flow. Myocardial infarction is the death of the cells in an area of the myocardium. This causes oxygen deficiency that is caused by a block in the blood supply also known as a heart attack. The left ventricle is the common site for MI, which is the chamber of the heart that works the most. This results in fibrotic scar formation and permanently impaired cardiac function (Zammaretti 2004). Tissue changes in the myocardium are associated to how much the cells have been deprived of oxygen. Thi...
Millions of people suffer from heart valve disease every year (“US Markets for Heart Valves”, 2007). Out of all of the heart valve diseases, “mitral regurgitation is the second most common valvular heart disease” (Baumgartner et al., 2006). This is due to the fact that the mitral valve experiences the most pressure and blood flow compared to the other valves in the heart (“US Markets for Heart Valves”, 2007). The disease occurs when blood leaks back into the left auricle from the left ventricle, which is caused by the mitral valve not closing properly (Lantada et al., 2009). The majority of the time, the mitral valve does not function correctly due to a structural abnormality (Buckner et al., 2010). These abnormalities can occur in either the papillary chords or the papillary muscles (Lantada et al., 2009). The frequency of the mitral valve abnormalities, especially in the elderly population, led to extensive research to find a solution (“US Markets for Heart Valves”, 2007).
These causes will change the heart significantly. The pathophysiology of heart failure is described differently as: (1) an oedematous disorder, by means of which the deviations in renal hemodynamics and excretory ability lead to salt and water holding; (2) a hemodynamic disorder, considered by peripheral vasoconstriction and decreased cardiac output; (3) a neurohormonal disorder, mainly by stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and adrenergic nervous system; (4) an inflammatory syndrome, related with amplified local and circulation pro-inflammatory cytokines; (5) a myocardial disease, started with an damage to the heart trailed by pathological ventricular transformation. In heart failure, the heart sustains either a sudden or longstanding structural injury. When damage occurs, sequences of firstly compensatory but consequently maladaptive mechanisms follow (Henry & Abraham, ).
The heart is the most important organ in the human body. The purpose of it is to pump oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to all parts of the body. It rarely occurs that the heart muscle become worn-out.. The threat to the heart’s normal function is in the diseases. (Landstinget i Värmland, 2008) In Sweden cardiovascular diseases are type of diseases which causes most deaths. 4 out of 10 people die in cardiovascular diseases and thousands die prematurely because of it. Today 12 percent of the Swedish population is suffering from cardiovascular diseases (Hjärt-Lungfonden, 2008) and today 40 000 of the Swedish population have a pacemaker. (CISIONWIRE, 2008) A treatment for a heart that is beating too slowly is receiving a pacemaker which keeps the heartbeat regular. (Hjärt-Lungfonden, 2008(2)
Left-sided heart failure is the most common type of heart failure, and it is a result of left-ventricular dysfunction. This disease poses a significant threat to patients because the primary function of the left side of the heart is to provide sufficient oxygenated blood to satisfy the metabolic demands of the body’s cells. Understanding the main function of this portion of the heart will help with the understanding of other complications associated with this diseased. Left-sided heart failure is usually the result of the loss of heart muscle function, specifically in the left ventricle secondary to coronary artery disease, prolonged hypertension, or myocardial infection (Lewis et al. 2014, 766). The pathophysiology of left-sided heart failure is primary a macroscopic disorder and will be described as such.
It is essential to the human body that the heart pump sufficient nutrient rich blood to the body’s cells, because the body won’t be able to function normally otherwise. When a heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood through to meet the body’s regular demand it is characterized as heart failure. Heart failure can usually be treated through conventional heart therapies and symptom management strategies, however conventional therapies don’t work for all patients with heart failure, this is what is depicted as advanced heart failure or end-stage heart failure. In other words “End stage” heart failure is when the condition becomes so severe that all conventional treatments no longer work, the only treatment that works for end stage heart failure is to have a heart transplantation-surgery to remove a person's diseased heart and replace it with a healthy heart from a deceased donor. However there are two large encompassing problems with this treatment. The first problem is that the patient is subject to shortages in donor organ availability and thus possible further decompensation and potential death while awaiting transplantation. According to the American Heart Association, there are over 500,000 new cases of end-stage heart failure in the United States every year. With only 2200 donor hearts available every year nearly 20-30% of the patients who die while they await a transplant. The second problem with this mode of treatment is that not all patients qualify for heart transplantation. Patients who have another disease in addition to end-stage heart failure do not qualify for heart transplantation. The discrepancy between the clinical need for donor hearts and the total number of hearts available, as well as the lack of treatment o...
“Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood through to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen” (American Heart Association, 2012, para 3). What this basically means is that the body is functioning in a way that the heart cannot keep up with. Although heart failure can be acute and occur suddenly, it usually develops over time and is a long-term or chronic condition. There are two different types of heart failure, left-sided and right-sided, and they can be caused by other diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, or high blood pressure (National Institutes of Health, 2012). In most cases, both sides of the heart are affected simultaneously.
The cardiovascular system keeps blood circulating throughout our bodies constantly, and without it, many of the activities that we do would not be possible! The heart is the main organ of the cardiovascular system because it pumps the blood, and also a major organ of the human body because of how it is able to allow our bodies to work. Unfortunately, the heart may fail to function at times when blood flow is reduced as a result of blockage. This is more commonly known as a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. According to “Heart Disease Statistics,” approximately 715, 000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year . This deadly disorder of the heart can be diagnosed from symptoms, as well as from imaging and tests, and it is possible to
Myocardial infarctions are caused by vascular endothelial disruption most often associated with plaque build-up or atherosclerosis that develops over several years and causes thrombus formation which in turn
Coronary heart disease is defined by the hardening of the epicardial coronary arteries. The buildup of plaque in the arteries slowly narrows the coronary artery lumen. In order to better understand the physiology of the disease, it is important to first know the basic anatomy of the human heart. The aorta, located in the superior region of the heart, branches off into two main coronary blood vessels, otherwise known as arteries. The arteries are located on the left and right side of the heart and span its surface. They subsequently branch off into smaller arteries which supply oxygen-rich blood to the entire heart (Texas Heart Institute, 2013). Therefore, the narrowing of these arteries due to plaque buildup significantly impairs blood flow throughout the heart.
Atherosclerosis, the underlying causes of coronary heart disease can affect any artery in the body. Coronary heart disease is essentially the build up of plaque which sticks to the walls of the coronary arteries. The arteries in atherosclerosis is narrowed due to the excessive build up of cholesterol-rich lipids known as plaque around the artery wall (Insull, 2009). Once the plaques around the walls of the arteries become narrow, the flow of blood will be constricted, reducing the amount of blood and oxygen that are able to reach the heart. Hence the heart becomes increasingly hypoxic, as a consequence the contraction become inefficient, thus poses serious cardiovascular complications which could result in heart attack (A&P p.687)(Insull, 2009). Despite the
Most often the disease starts in the left ventricle, and then often spreads to both the atrium and right ventricle as well. Usually there will also be mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, due to the dilation of the annuli. This regurgitation will continue to make problems worse by adding excessive volume and pressure to the atria, which is what then causes them to dilate. Once the atria become dilated it often leads to atrial fibrillation. As the volume load increases the ventricles become more dilated and over time the myocytes become weakened and cannot contract as they should. As you might have guessed with the progressive myocyte degeneration, there is a reduction in cardiac output which then may present as signs of heart failure (Lily).
Succinctly speaking, a myocardial infarction is not a disease but rather an event occurring due to the progression of coronary heart disease. 1(p.125) With coronary heart disease, the flow of blood which supplies the heart with oxygen is blocked, reducing the amount of oxygen received by the cardiac muscles and resulting in damage or death of cardiac muscle....
What is a Myocardial Infarction? Myocardial Infarction, also known as a heart attack, occurs when there is a blockage in one of the coronary arteries. The heart is a muscle that needs oxygenated blood and nutrients to survive. When a blockage occurs in the arteries, oxygen and nutrients are cut off from the heart for an extensive time. The blocked portion of tissue in heart dies. Blockages can occur due to several factors. Coronary artery disease is the most prevalent cause. Coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis is due to plaque buildup and narrowing in the artery walls. These plaques are made from cholesterol and waste products. This buildup on artery walls can restrict blood flow; a process that can take
Heart disease can take many forms. The form of heart disease I am focusing on is coronary disease. Different arteries supply different areas of the heart with oxygenated blood. If one or more of these arteries become narrowed or clogged as a result of coronary artery disease, or atherscelorosis the artery cannot fully supply the part of the heart it is responsible for. The heart is an effective pump only when good blood supply is maintained to all heart muscles.
Myocardial infarction occurs when the coronary arteries are blocked by a blood clot. It is commonly known as “heart attack”. The heart needs its own constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to work properly. Two coronary arteries delivery oxygenated blood to the heart, and if one of these two arteries fail or become blocked, then a portion of the heart will not acquire the necessary oxygen. This clot could be because of CAD (coronary artery disease), which happens when the inner walls of the coronary arteries thicken because of build up of cholesterol, fatty deposit, calcium among other elements that are carried in the blood (Boston Scientific, 2009).