Coronary artery bypass graft The following case study addresses a patient with coronary artery disease that underwent a coronary artery bypass surgery. The purpose of this discussion on coronary artery disease is as follows: a) to communicate the physical symptoms and the presentation of the patient, b) to discuss coronary artery disease in general and the presentations in women, c) patient outcome and preventative actions.
Patient Presentation A 72-year-old Caucasian female presented to her doctor with complaints of labored respirations and feeling fatigued. She also reported having shortness of breath while performing activities of daily living and when using the stairs in her home. These symptoms were going on for about three weeks. Upon interview, the client did not have any other symptoms that pointed towards angina. She did not complain of chest pain that radiated to her shoulder or jaw. The patient’s blood pressure and pulse were all in normal limits. …show more content…
It is a characterized by plaque build up in the intimal wall of the artery (Bucher & Johnson, 2011). Patients maybe asymptomatic for many years and then they start to develop symptoms of angina. The symptoms can include, chest pain or discomfort, fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety and indigestion (Bucher & Johnson, 2011, p. 778) It is important to note that angina symptoms present differently in women than in men. According to Mercuro el al. (2010) due to a large percentage of women not having coronary lesions, chest pain is not a reliable sign of Chronic Heart Disease (CHD) for women. Men report the symptomatic sign of chest pain more often than women. Women generally experience abdominal discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, sleeplessness or dyspnea (Mercuro et al., 2010, pp. 214-215). Some symptoms women may experience before a myocardial infraction are fatigue and
Patient Presentation A 72-year-old Caucasian female presented to her doctor with complaints of labored respirations and feeling fatigued. She also reported having shortness of breath while performing activities of daily living and when using the stairs in her home. These symptoms were going on for about three weeks. Upon interview, the client did not have any other symptoms that pointed towards angina. She did not complain of chest pain that radiated to her shoulder or jaw. The patient’s blood pressure and pulse were all in normal limits. …show more content…
It is a characterized by plaque build up in the intimal wall of the artery (Bucher & Johnson, 2011). Patients maybe asymptomatic for many years and then they start to develop symptoms of angina. The symptoms can include, chest pain or discomfort, fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety and indigestion (Bucher & Johnson, 2011, p. 778) It is important to note that angina symptoms present differently in women than in men. According to Mercuro el al. (2010) due to a large percentage of women not having coronary lesions, chest pain is not a reliable sign of Chronic Heart Disease (CHD) for women. Men report the symptomatic sign of chest pain more often than women. Women generally experience abdominal discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, sleeplessness or dyspnea (Mercuro et al., 2010, pp. 214-215). Some symptoms women may experience before a myocardial infraction are fatigue and