Cardiovascular disease

Question 1

what is cardiovascular disease?

Answer 1

this is the term used to describe diseases of the heart or blood vessles

Question 2

what is coronary heart disease?

Answer 2

•this is when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by built up layers of fatty deposit
•this causes arteries to become narrow so blood flow is restricted and there is a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle
•this can result in a heart attack

Question 3

what are stents?

Answer 3

•Tubes that are inserted inside arteries to keep them open making sure blood can pass through to the heart muscle
•This keeps the person’s heart beating (keeping them alive)

Question 4

what are the advantages of stents?

Answer 4

•they lower risk of heart attack with people with coronary heart disease
•they are effective for a long time
•recovery time from surgery is relatively quick

Question 5

what are the disadvantages of stents?

Answer 5

•risk of complications during operation e.g. heart attack
•risk of infection from surgery
•risk of patient developing a blood clot near the stent (thrombosis)

Question 6

what is cholesterol?

Answer 6

•an essential lipid that the body produces and needs to function properly

Question 7

what happens if you have too much cholesterol?

Answer 7

•too much of ‘bad cholesterol’ can cause health problems
•too much of this in the bloodstream can cause build up of fatty deposits inside arteries leading the coronary heart disease

Question 8

what are statins?

Answer 8

•drugs that reduce the amount of bad cholesterol present in the blood stream
•this slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming

Question 9

what are the advantages of statins?

Answer 9

•reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in blood reducing risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attacks
•can increase the amount of good cholesterol in your bloodstream. This type can remove bad cholesterol from blood

Question 10

what are the disadvantages of statins?

Answer 10

•can cause serious side effects e.g. kidney failure, liver damage and memory loss
•must be taken long term and regularly- risk of patient forgetting to take them
•the effect of statins aren’t instant- takes time for them to kick in

Question 11

what are artificial hearts and when are they used?

Answer 11

•they are mechanical devices that pump blood for a person whose own heart has failed
•they’re usually only used as a temporary fix to keep a person alive until a donor heart can be found or used to to help the heart rest and heal while in recovery

Question 12

what are the advantages of artificial hearts?

Answer 12

•in some cases they’re used as a permanent fix which reduces the need for a heart donor
•they’re less likely to be rejected by the immune system than a donor heart as they’re made from metals or plastics so the body doesn’t recognise them as “foreign” and attack in the same way it does to living tissue

Question 13

what are the disadvantages of artificial hearts?

Answer 13

•surgery to fit an artificial heart can lead to bleeding and infection
•artificial hearts don’t work as well ell as healthy natural ones as part of the heart could wear out or the electrical motor could fail
•blow doesn’t flow thoroughly through artificial hearts as smoothly which can lead to blood clotting and strokes this means patient will have to take drugs to thin their blood to prevent blood clotting which can lead to bleeding problems if they are hurt in an accident

Question 14

when may someone’s valves need to be replaced?

Answer 14

•when the valves are weakened by heart attacks, infection or old age
•this may cause the valve tissue to stiffen and not open properly

Question 15

what are replacement valves made from?

Answer 15

•biological replacement valves are from human or other mammals like cows or pigs
•mechanical valves are man made

Question 16

what is a risk that comes with valve replacement surgery?

Answer 16

blood clotting

Question 17

when is artificial blood used?

Answer 17

•when someone loses a lot of blood e.g. in an accident the volume of their blood needs to be topped up in order for the heart to pump remaining red blood cells around
•artificial blood can be used as a substitute to replace lost volume of blood e.g. salt solution/ saline can be used

Question 18

what is an advantage of using artificial blood when blood is lost?

Answer 18

•it is safe as long as no air bubbles get into the blood
•can keep people alive even if they lose 2/3 of their red blood cells giving them enough time to produce new blood cells (if not, the patient will need blood transfusion)

Question 19

how do scientists hope to improve artificial blood?

Answer 19

they hope to use it to replace the function of the lost red blood cells so that there’s no need for blood transfusions

Question 20

what are advantages of a heart transplant?

Answer 20

•is usually a permanent fix
•can be life saving and can improve quality of life

Question 21

what are disadvantages of a heart transplant

Answer 21

•risk of rejection of body’s immune system
•immunosuppressants drugs would have to be taken after surgery to prevent immune system rejecting donor heart
•few donor hearts are available

Question 22

What is bad cholesterol also known as?

Answer 22

LDL cholesterol

Question 23

What is good cholesterol also known as?

Answer 23

HDL cholesterol