Heart disease

The heart-lung machine, or pump oxygenator, invented by John Gibbon in the early 1950s, had opened the era of modern heart surgery for coronary artery disease (Buxton & Galvin, 2013). It significantly increased the survival rate and quality of life of patient suffering from coronary artery disease (CAD); however, the higher complication rate caused by the heart-lung pump machine, such as the neurocognitive impairment, the systematic inflammation, the long recovery time, and the high operation…

The definition of the term is as follows. General adaptation syndrome (GAS) is the predictable way the body responses to stress as described by Hans Selye (1907-1982). The three phases are Alarm Reaction, Resistance and Exhaustion. 1. Alarm Reaction The first stage of the general adaptation stage, the alarm reaction, is the immediate reaction to a stressor. What is stressor? Any urge, force, or pressure (that is, deleterious force) brought to bear on a person, bodily system, or governmental…

The fight or flight response, also known as the “acute stress response” was first described by Walter Cannon in the 1920s as a theory that animals react to threats when the autonomic nervous system reacts. His theory was later recognized as the first stage of a general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms. Our autonomic nervous system consists of two branches: the parasympathetic and the sympathetic systems. The sympathetic system’s…

Vital signs are objective measures of physiological function that are used to monitor acute and chronic disease and thus serve as a basic communication tool about patient status.1 Vital signs consist of the measurements of heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Vital signs are used to monitor patient’s health status and also to monitor their recovery from certain diseases. Numerous physiological and pathological changes may occur with age and alter vital signs.1…

the body. According to The American Cancer Society, Hodgkin disease can start almost anywhere because lymphoid tissue is in many parts of the body. It will most often start in the lymph nodes in the upper part of the body. The most common sites are in the chest, neck or under the arms (cancer.org). Because the cancer cells of Hodgkin’s disease can invade and destroy normal tissue and spread to other tissues, all types of the disease are cancerous or, malignant (cancer.org). The American…

threatening conditions is heart failure. The heart is a muscular structure that pumps blood to all parts of the body. Heart failure results when the heart fails to pump enough blood hence increased overload. The pathophysiology occurs as a result of increased workload on the left ventricle especially in patients with hypertension. This leads to enlargement of the muscles; enlarged muscles lack sufficient oxygen supply due to reduced supply of coronary artery to the muscles of the heart. Patients…

affected along with the pulmonary and renal systems. Cardiovascular side effects depend upon the previous underlying cardiopulmonary status of each patient. Conditions pertaining to congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause hyperinflation, which compresses the heart and lungs. There are studies that are shown in this paper including beneficial effects of positive pressure ventilation (PPV)…

of the alveoli as the oxygen is being diffused through the venous blood. Ventilation can be affected by the ability of the respiratory muscles to contract. Whereas, perfusion can be affected by blocking of the alveoli (ex. excess mucous, dirt or disease causing organisms). Ventilation involves the nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and the right and left bronchi. Perfusion involves the respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and the alveoli. Ventilation id dependent on the amount and ability of…

approximately 30,000 cardiac cells have died. The heart cannot reproduce these lost cells, and there are cardiac cells still dying. What is the doctor to do to help solve this problem? This issue is the area in which the ideology and use of stem cells come into play. Stem cells are, “Multipotent, undifferentiated cells capable of multiplication and differentiation (Paolo and Markwald).” Thus, these stem cells can be utilized in a patient to allow for the heart to reproduce new cells and keep…

A stunning number of people in the U.S. cope with high blood pressure; over 74 million have it. The condition is currently the number one cause of strokes and a leading contributor to heart attacks. Also known as hypertension, most people don't even realize they have it until they visit their doctor for a normal checkup. Below, we'll explore how your arteries work, who is at risk of developing high blood pressure, and the difference between essential and secondary hypertension. Your Arteries…