Coronary Artery Disease Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is coronary artery disease
A condition where coronary arteries become blocked or narrowed due to the formation of plaque in the blood vessels
Why is coronary artery disease bad
Formation of plaque prevents oxygen rich blood from reaching the heart muscles
Where are the coronary arteries located
The run along the outside of the heart which allows for oxygen delivery
Why is O2 important for the heart
Heart muscles cannot function properly without sufficient oxygen supply
What is a stable angina
A chronic condition involving predictable and reproducible chest pain
What causes stable angina
Inadequate oxygen supply to the heart muscle
why is it called stable angina
Because you can predictably bring on chest pain if you ask the heart to do too much work
How is atherosclerosis related to stable angina
Reduced blood flow reduces the amount of oxygen recieved by the heart
What happens if the muscle doesn’t recieve enough oxygen
Heart muscle becomes hypoxic causing a strangling/tightening feeling
How can stable angina be managed
Lowering activity level and reducing the workload of the heart will reduce the heart demand for oxygen
What is acute coronary syndrome
An umbrella term for a group of emergency conditions involving sudden coronary obstruction resulting in reduced blood flow to the heart
What causes acute coronary syndrome
Rupture of Astheroclerotic plaque or the formation of blood clots
What is an unstable angina
Involves sudden and unpredictable obstriction of the heart
What makes unstable angina different from stable angina
Unstabe angina is unpredictable and can happen at any time, even at rest
What makes unstable angina so dangerous
It is more severe, longer lasting and less responsive to rest and medication
What is another name for myocardial infarction
Heart attack
What is a myocardial infarction
Involves complete or prolonged blockage of the coronary arteries
What are the two causes of a myocardial infarction
Thrombosis and Embolization
How does Embolization occur
Clots break off and block a smaller blood vessel further down the coronary artery
Why is a myocardial infarction so dangerous
With blood supply cut off, the heart muscle is not longer recieveing oxygen causing the muscle to die
what is the time limit to save a person from myocardial infarction
Heart muscle can be without O2 for 20 mins to still be savable
What is the difference between a heart attack and heart failure
Heart failure is when the heart is able to pump enough blood to the heart, heart attack is partial obstruction of the coronary arteries
