B4.4 Issues With The Heart

Question 1

What is irregular heart rhythm ? How is this treated ?

Answer 1

It is when the pacemaker cells in the heart do not work properly
Treated by implanting an artificial pacemaker just under the skin above the heart and has a wire taking electrical current to the heart causing it to contract regularly mimicking the pacemaker cells

Question 2

What is coronary heart disease ?

Answer 2

When the coronary arteries start to get blocked by the build up of fatty material- causes linen to become narrower so less blood can flow- less oxygen for blood- puts strain on heart and potentially cause a heart attack

Question 3

What is cardiovascular disease ?

Answer 3

General term for diseases in the cardiovascular system

Question 4

What are some examples of cardiovascular disease ?

Answer 4

Coronary heart disease, heart attacks, faulty valves and heart failure

Question 5

What are some methods of treating coronary heart disease? Include pros and cons for both

Answer 5

1. Stents- expandable tube inside the artery to hold them open
   Pros- surgery is relatively quick and last a long time
   Cons- do require surgery so risks and blood clot near stent (thrombosis) could be a risk from it
2. Statins- alters the balance of cholesterol by decreasing LDL and increasing HDL which lowers risk of heart disease as well
   Cons- taken regularly and can cause side effects

Question 6

What is faulty valves ?

Answer 6

Basically they allow blood to flow in one direction
But this issues can be the valves become stiff so blood can’t flow or the valve doesn’t close properly causing back flow of blood

Question 7

How do we treat faulty valves ? Both methods and where they come from

Answer 7

Replace with new ones either biological valves from humans or pigs/ cows
Or
Man made mechanical valve
Con- surgery meaning risk of blood clots

Question 8

What is heart failure and how do we treat it ? Remember both methods artificial and human with pros and cons for each

Answer 8

Heart can’t pump blood
Treatment
Replacement with either biological or artificial heart
Con- artificial hearts are not that good, have to have a donor heart from a human, heart could be rejected by our bodies immune system
Pro- artificial heart is invisible to the immune system as it’s metal but it’s still a temporary fix