cardiovascular disease

• cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart or blood vessels
• coronary heart disease is when the coronary arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by layers of fatty material building up. this causes arteries to become narrow, so blood flow is restricted and there's a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle - which can resort to a heart attack
• stents are tubes that are inserted inside arteries. they keep them open, making sure blood can pass through the heart muscles. this keeps the person's heart beating
• stents are a way of lowering the risk of a heart attack in people with coronary heart disease. they are effective for a long time and the recovery time from the surgery is relatively quick
• there is a risk of patients developing a blood clot near the stent called thrombosis
• cholesterol is an essential lipid that the body produces and needs to function properly. however, too much of a certain type off cholesterol can cause health problems
• having too much of a bad cholesterol can cause fatty deposits to form arteries, which can lead to coronary heart disease
• statins are drugs that can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol present in the bloodstream. this slows down the rate of fatty deposits forming
• (ad) statins can reduce the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease and heart attacks
• (ad) statins may help prevent some other diseases
• (dis) statins are a long term drug that must be taken regularly
• (dis) there are negative side effects, such as headaches, kidney failure, liver damage and memory loss
• if a patient has heart failure, doctors may perform a heart transplant using donor organs. if donor organs aren't available or aren't the best option, they may fit an artificial heart
• artificial hearts are mechanical devices that pump blood for a person whose own heart has failed. they're only temporary
• the main advantage of artificial hearts is that they're less likely to be rejected by the body's immune system than a donor heart
• surgery to fit an artificial heart can lead to bleeding and infection. they also don't work as well as healthy natural ones. blood doesn't flow through artificial hearts as smoothly, which can cause blood clots and lead to strokes
• the valves in the heart can be damaged or weakened by heart attacks, infection or old age
• damage may cause the valve tissue to stiffen, so it won't open properly. or a valve may become leaky, allowing blood to flow in both directions rather than just forward. this means that blood doesn't circulate as effectively as normal
• severe valve damage can be treated by replacing the valve. replacement valves can be one taken from humans or other mammals, which we call biological valves. they can also be man-made, which are called mechanical valves
• artificial blood is a blood substitute which is used to replace the lost volume of blood. it can keep people alive even if they lose 2/3 of their red blood cells. this gives the patient enough time to produce new blood cells. if not, the patient will need a blood transfusion