Coronary Artery Disease By Rnpedia

Healthy arteries are smooth and flexible. In a person with CAD, the arteries are narrowed with a buildup of plaque. Blood cannot flow as easily through diseased arteries. When blood flow is restricted to the heart, the heart muscle cannot get enough oxygen and pain or discomfort occurs. This pain or discomfort, which can be felt in the chest, arms or lower jaw, is called angina. Sometimes, the blood flow in the narrowed arteries is blocked completely by a clot. If this happens, the heart muscle cannot get oxygen and the person suffers a heart attack. The area of the heart affected by the blockage dies and becomes scar tissue.

Coronary artery disease accounts for over 50% of all deaths in the US. Cancer accounts for approximately 20%. Liver failure and renal failure account for less than 10% of all deaths in the US.

Obesity is an important risk factor for coronary artery disease that can be modified by improved diet and weight loss. Family history of coronary artery disease, male gender, and advancing age increase risk but cannot be modified.

Because "heredity" refers to our genetic makeup, it can't be changed. Cigarette smoking cessation is a lifestyle change that involves behavior modification. Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor that can be controlled with diet, exercise, and medication. Altering one's diet, exercise, and medication can correct hypertension.

Arteries, not veins, supply the coronary arteries with oxygen and other nutrients. Atherosclerosis is a direct result of plaque formation in the artery. Hardened vessels can't dilate properly and, therefore, constrict blood flow.

Atherosclerosis, or plaque formation, is the leading cause of CAD. DM is a risk factor for CAD but isn't the most common cause. Renal failure doesn't cause CAD, but the two conditions are related. Myocardial infarction is commonly a result of CAD.

It is also called balloon angioplasty. The balloon is placed in the artery by means of a fine tube called a catheter. The catheter usually is inserted into a blood vessel in an elbow or groin and travels to the heart. Once the end of the catheter reaches the blockage, the balloon is inflated and deflated several times to push the plaque against the artery wall and open and stretch the artery, the NHLBI says. This stretching helps improve the flow of blood through the artery. A variation on this procedure uses a laser instead of a balloon. The laser vaporizes plaque in an artery. Laser angioplasty has been used alone and along with balloon angioplasty. Because of advances in other techniques, however, it is not used as often. Angioplasty also can be used to open an artery in an arm, leg or neck. There are several benefits to angioplasty. It opens up an artery without the risks associated with major surgery. It retains the original artery instead of replacing it, as is done in bypass surgery. And it does not require general anesthesia.

Cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dl are considered excessive. They require dietary restriction and perhaps medication. Exercise also helps reduce cholesterol levels. The other levels listed are all below the nationally accepted levels for cholesterol and carry a lesser risk for CAD.

An electrocardiogram (ECG) shows the heart's electrical activity. An ECG is used to find out if a heart attack has occurred. It also shows which parts of the heart muscle may not be getting enough blood. The treadmill stress test also helps determine how blood is flowing through your arteries. It shows how your heart and body respond electrically during exercise. A radioactive dye may be injected into your bloodstream so that an X-ray camera can see the blood flow during the test. The main tool for diagnosing coronary artery disease, however, is cardiac catheterization and angiography. A dye is injected through a catheter placed in the coronary arteries and an X-ray is taken of the outline of the artery. This test can pinpoint where the arteries are narrowed or even blocked. CAD may be diagnosed using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cardiac computed tomography, which uses an X-ray machine to take detailed pictures of the heart.

The answer includes the factors that have been identified as preventable risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). High blood cholesterol levels contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, which can lead to CAD. Cigarette smoking damages the blood vessels and increases the risk of developing CAD. Obesity is associated with various cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which increase the likelihood of CAD. Therefore, the answer accurately identifies the preventable factors that increase the risk of CAD.

Hypoxia is the main breathing stimulus for a client with COPD. Excessive oxygen administration may lead to apnea by removing that stimulus. Anginal pain results from a reduced myocardial oxygen supply. A client with COPD may have anginal pain from generalized vasoconstriction secondary to hypoxia; however, administering oxygen at any concentration dilates blood vessels, easing anginal pain. Respiratory alkalosis results from alveolar hyperventilation, not excessive oxygen administration. In a client with COPD, high oxygen concentrations decrease the ventilatory drive, leading to respiratory acidosis, not alkalosis. High oxygen concentrations don’t cause metabolic acidosis.

Hypoxia is the main breathing stimulus for a client with COPD. Excessive oxygen administration may lead to apnea by removing that stimulus. Anginal pain results from a reduced myocardial oxygen supply. A client with COPD may have anginal pain from generalized vasoconstriction secondary to hypoxia; however, administering oxygen at any concentration dilates blood vessels, easing anginal pain. Respiratory alkalosis results from alveolar hyperventilation, not excessive oxygen administration. In a client with COPD, high oxygen concentrations decrease the ventilatory drive, leading to respiratory acidosis, not alkalosis. High oxygen concentrations don’t cause metabolic acidosis.

Enhancing mocardial oxygenation is always the first priority when a client exhibits signs and symptoms of cardiac compromise. Without adequate oxygen, the myocardium suffers damage. Sublingual nitorglycerin is administered to treat acute angina, but its administration isn't the first priority. Although educating the client and decreasing anxiety are important in care delivery, nether are priorities when a client is compromised.

The ECG is the quickest, most accurate, and most widely used tool to determine the location of myocardial infarction. Cardiac enzymes are used to diagnose MI but can’t determine the location. An echocardiogram is used most widely to view myocardial wall function after an MI has been diagnosed. Cardiac catheterization is an invasive study for determining coronary artery disease and may also indicate the location of myocardial damage, but the study may not be performed immediately.

The statement is false because it states that women in the lower socioeconomic group have the highest contribution to CAD related events for their gender. However, there is no evidence or data provided to support this claim. Without any supporting information, it is not possible to conclude that women in the lower socioeconomic group have the highest contribution to CAD related events. Therefore, the statement is false.

Avoiding very heavy meals eating large, heavy meals can pull blood away from the heart for digestion and is dangerous for the client with coronary artery disease.

Oral medication administration is a noninvasive, medical treatment for coronary artery disease. Cardiac catheterization isn't a treatment but a diagnostic tool. Coronary artery bypass surgery and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty are invasive, surgical treatments.

The right coronary artery supplies the right ventricle, or the inferior portion of the heart. Therefore, prolonged occlusion could produce an infarction in that area. The right coronary artery doesn't supply the anterior portion ( left ventricle ), lateral portion ( some of the left ventricle and the left atrium ), or the apical portion ( left ventricle ) of the heart.