Chapter #10 – Enhancing Your Cardiovascular
Health
Prevalence of C-V disease: 40% of Deaths in U.S.
related to C-V health – reduce life expectancy by
more than 7 years.
Normal Cardiovascular Function:
The Vascular System refers to blood vessels.
Arteries carry blood away from the heart (BP
highest here)
Veins carry blood to the heart
(Is this always true?)
Capillaries – site of oxygen diffusion
The Heart
Behind the rib cage…about the size of a person’s
hand
Four chambers (atrium or auricles and ventricles)
(p. 323)
Coronary arteries supply blood to this muscle
Nervous stimulation from electric impulses that
come through sensors or nodes
Can perform an EKG to see electrical pattern of
the heart beat
Blood
-average sized adult has 6 quarts of blood
Functions:
1. Transportation of nutrients, oxygen,
waste, hormones, enzymes
2. Regulate body’s water content
3. Maintain PH balance
4. Regulate body temperature
5. Prevent blood loss through clotting
6. Protection against toxins
C-V Disease Risk Factors
(Risk factor is an attribute that a person has or is
exposed to that increases the likelihood of
development of some form of disease)
1. Increasing age
2. Male gender
3. Heredity
4. Race
5. Lifestyle choices
6. Tobacco smoke
7. Physical activity
8. Blood cholesterol
9. High Blood Pressure
10. Diabetes Milletus
11 Overfat
These factors cannot
be altered
These factors can be
altered
Most often missed factor contributing to heart
disease is the response to stress.
Forms of C-V Disease (can be multi-functional)
a. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
*Damage to vessels that supply the heart
b. Atherosclerosis
*Narrowing of arteries from plaque buildup
c. Cholesterol and Lipoproteins
*Higher levels narrow arteries (LDL/VLDL)
*Lowered by exercise/diet/statins)
d. Angina Pectoris
*Pain felt during exertion
*Use nitro/beta blockers/Ca channel Blockers
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
 #1 Sign of Heart attack is denial
 CPR/Rescue breathing is very NB to know
Diagnosis
Catheterization – once vital signs are stabilized
use dye to help find severity and location of
blockage
Treatment
A. Surgical – CABG and PTCA, laser-surgery
(carotids), Heart transplants, artificial hearts
B. Non-surgical – Blood thinners (coumadin)
Aspirins, alcohol
Hypertension: (HTN- The Silent Killer)
*Consistently high BP (140-90)
*Pre-HTN signs (130/85) WHY?
Prevention and Treatment
*Wt. Reduction
*Physical activity
* Sodium restriction (?)
*Stress reduction
*Vasodilators/diuretics
Stroke or Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA)
*Blockage of blood flow to brain
* Occlusions are clots that flow to the brain from
another body part
* Cerebral Hemorrhage – sudden bursting of
blood vessel
*Cerebral Aneurysm – a “ballooning” out of a
weakened part of the blood vessel
Diagnosis
Anyone reporting stroke signs/symptoms
undergoes tests to find out nature of problems
(TIA’s – Transient Ischemic Accident- ministrokes)
Cogential Heart Disease
+ Abnormalities present at birth
+ Valve damage, holes between chambers
+ Underdeveloped ventricles and stroke volume
Causes – maternal illness, drugs, alcohol,
environmental pollutants
+ Treated with surgery or it monitored closely as
body heals itself
Rheumatic Heart Disease
+ started by a streptococcal infection
+ tendency to run in family
+ whole body reaction
+ Heart inflammation
+ Most damage is in valves
Congestive Heart Failure
+ heart weakens
+can’t circulate blood
+ swelling in extremities
+ lungs retain fluid – drowning
+ will be fatal if not treated
Other Heart Diseases
a. Peripheral Artery or Vascular Disease
+ restricted blood flow to extremities
+ leg pain during exercise
+ numbness, tingling, coldness, loss of hair on
affected limbs
+ could lead to amputation
Treated by: lowering blood pressure, lowering
weight, eliminating smoking if needed; stents
b. Arrythmias
+ disorders of normal electrical discharge
sequence in heart contraction
+ irregular heart beat
- bradycardia – less than 60 BPM
- tachycardia – greater than 100 BPM
- other heart diseases will affect arrythmias
- may lead to atrial fibrillation
- discovered by EKG
- treatment – medication, pacemaker, ICD
Related Cardiovascular Conditions
-heart murmurs
- inflammation of pericardial sac
- inflammation of inner most heart layer
- inflammation of veins