Coronary Heart Disease

• Coronary Heart Disease
• Xenotransplantation


  Transplanting the organs of one species into another species
• Types of heart valve replacement

  • Biological
  • Mechanical
• Anticoagulants


  Used to prevent blood clotting after valve replacement surgery
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a non-communicable disease
• Risk factors for CHD

  • Diet
  • Lack of exercise
  • Stress
  • Smoking
  • Genetic predisposition
  • Age
  • Sex
• A 54-year-old plays netball twice a week, smokes 5-10 cigarettes a day, works as a director, and often eats convenience food
• Three risk factors that should be changed to reduce the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease are: smoking, stress, and diet
• Coronary arteries


  Branch out of the aorta and provide oxygen to the muscle cells of the heart
• Coronary arteries supply blood to the heart, they are on the outside of the heart, and CHD is a blockage in these arteries
• Coronary arteries can become blocked by fatty material called plaques, which restricts blood flow and prevents glucose and oxygen being delivered to respiring cells, potentially resulting in a heart attack
• Atherosclerosis


  The process where fatty deposits (atheroma) build up in the coronary arteries
• A blockage to the coronary arteries may be fatal because the coronary arteries supply the heart cells with blood, which carries oxygen and glucose, and without these the cells cannot respire
• Stents


  Used to keep the coronary arteries open
• Stents


  • Effective for a long time, recovery time is relatively quick
  • Risk of complications during operation or infection, risk of blood clot (thrombosis)
• Statins


  Widely used to reduce blood cholesterol levels, slowing down the rate of fatty material deposit
• Statins


  • Can reduce the risk of strokes, CHD and heart attacks
  • Reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol
  • Long-term drug that must be taken regularly, can cause side effects
• Advantages and disadvantages of stents and statins

  • Stents: keep arteries open, relatively quick recovery
  • Stents: risk of complications, blood clots
  • Statins: reduce cholesterol, reduce risk of disease
  • Statins: long-term, can cause side effects
• Biological heart valves


  Less risk of clots forming, so lifelong anticoagulant treatment isn't usually necessary, but tend to wear out faster than mechanical valves
• Mechanical heart valves


  Hard-wearing and less likely to need replacing, but tendency for blood clots to form, so lifelong anticoagulant treatment is needed
• Advantages and disadvantages of biological and mechanical heart valves

  • Biological: less risk of clots, wear out faster
  • Mechanical: hard-wearing, risk of clots, need anticoagulants
• In the case of heart failure, a donor heart or heart and lungs can be transplanted, and artificial hearts are occasionally used
• Artificial hearts


  • Less likely to be rejected by the body's immune system than a donor heart
  • Surgery can lead to bleeding and infection, blood doesn't flow as smoothly, patient has to take blood thinning drugs, parts can wear out or the motor can fail
• CHD


  Coronary Heart Disease
• Statins


  Lower blood cholesterol
• Stents

  Keep the coronary artery open so that blood can flow
• Coronary heart disease develops when a coronary artery is blocked by a plaque, reducing blood flow to the heart and preventing oxygen and glucose being delivered to respiring heart cells