Cardiovascular Pathology

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood through to meet the body 's needs for blood and oxygen. Basically, the heart can 't keep up with its workload. American Heart Association Statistics (2016) reveals that heart failure accounts for 36% of cardiovascular disease deaths. Projections report a 46% increase in the prevalence of Heart Failure (HF) by 2030 by affecting over 8 million people above 18 years with the disease. Healthy People 2020 goals are focused on attaining high quality longer lives free of preventable diseases, promotion of quality of life, healthy development and healthy behaviors across all stages of life (Healthy People 2020, 2015).

There are approximately 5.7 million people in the United States diagnosed with heart failure and about half of those diagnoses will die due to causes related to heart failure within five years (“Heart Failure”, 2016). Heart failure related deaths vary by geographic locations; however, they are most predominant among men and offer a greater risk to women if left untreated. Heart failure is a serious medical condition, if diagnosed and treated early enough, the chance of preventing death increase.

Heart Failure is a progressive heart disease when the muscle of the heart is weakened so that it cannot pump blood as it should; the blood backs up into the blood vessels around the lungs and the other parts of the body (NHS Choice, 2015). In heart failure, the heart is not able to maintain a normal range cardiac output to meet the metabolic needs of the body (Kemp and Conte, 2012). Heart failure is a major worldwide public health problem, it is the end stage of heart disease and it could lead to high mortality. At present, heart failure is usually associated with old age, given the dramatic increase in the population of older people (ACCF/AHA, 2013). In the USA, there are about 5.7 million adults who have heart failure, about half of the people die within 5 years of diagnosis, and it costs the nation an estimated $30.7 billion each year (ACCF/AHA, 2013).

“One in nine deaths in 2009 included heart failure as a contributing cause. About half of the people who develop heart failure die within 5 years of diagnosis” (Heart Failure Fact Sheet). “Researchers have proven that African-Americans are at an increased risk of congestive heart failure. This is due to diabetes and high blood pressure, rather than race alone”. “There is no cure for heart failure. Treatments are used to relieve symptoms of CHF and try to prevent any further damage. The exact plan to help the patient depends on the stage and the type of heart failure the patient has”

Mr. Lisiecki is the founder of the Heart Challenge Swim Association (http://www.heartchallengeswim.org/), and a volunteer of the Mended Hearts Community (http://mendedhearts.org/), dedicated to pediatric congenital heart defects research and awareness. According to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, there are more than 18 congenital heart defects that affect children. Problems with his own heart eventually found him on the operating table of Belling ham’s Dr. Andrew Coletti, who performed corrective surgery and later implanted a defibrillator to insure a steady pulse of which he soon took advantage.

According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death globally claiming 17 million lives a year, more deaths than all cancer combined (Chiu and Radisic, 2013). Cardiovascular disease is responsible for a preponderance of health problems and its impact is expected to grow further as the population ages. In the UK, NHS spends about £7.74 billion as the expenditure to deal with cardiovascular diseases (Barton et al., 2011). Cardiovascular disease in the form of myocardial infarction has become the principle cause of death in developed countries, accounting for nearly 40% of all deaths (http://www.bhf.org.uk/). Congenital heart defects, which occur in nearly 14 of every 1000 new-born children, is another tragic fact that baffles medical industry (http://www.heart.org/). About 61 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population) live with cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, congenital cardiovascular defects, and congestive heart failure.

Cardiovascular disease has reportedly been the number one disease killer for men and women in the United States of America. Every one out of four deaths is caused by heart disease in the United States alone (Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention). Heart disease refers to the different types of conditions and symptoms that can affect the one’s heart and its functions to the body (Mayo Clinic). Cardiovascular/Heart disease has many causes and conditions, prevention methods and symptoms, and treatment options.

The article “What Broke My Father’s Heart” by Katy Butler is a memoir that describes the deterioration of her father Jeffery along a seven-year span. He was full of life and mentally engaged well into his 70’s until the age of 79 when he suffered a stroke. The stroke left him with considerable problems. Despite his drive and determination to overcome the strokes after effects, he deteriorated. Jeffery told his wife, “I don’t know who I am anymore.” After developing a painful hernia the following year that required surgery to be repaired, Jeffery’s cardiologist requested a preoperative cardiology clearance. The cardiologist stated he would not perform the surgery unless he received a pacemaker for his slow heart rhythm. His wife consented due to being overwhelmed and fatigued. The pacemaker insertion was apparently successful, but Katy’s father continued to go downhill. Four years after the pacemaker was put in, Katy’s mother asked her husband’s cardiologist to turn off the device, but he denied her request. Eight years after his initial stroke, Jeffery passed due to pneumonia. But even after his passing, Jeffery’s pacemaker continued to work flawlessly.

The article is reliable because Clever interviewed a St. Louis doctor, Dr. Ted E. Garrett, who is a cardiothoracic surgeon and knowledgeable on the topic of heart disease. Women and heart disease is a current topic because heart disease is the number one killer among women and it has been taken more seriously when women come into the hospital with symptoms than in the past. Many facts and statistics are used in the document, which appears to be accurate since this is a reliable source and information given from a cardiothoracic surgeon. The news article is researched based written by a news reporter who interviewed a well qualified doctor. The overall goal of the newspaper article is to inform those who think heart disease is a man’s disease and also teach the public more about heart

According to Center for Disease Control, one in nine people die from Congestive Heart Disease. Patients who have been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Disease are more likely to have one of these other disorders; Diabetes, Hypertension, or Coronary Artery Disease. Patient who have hypertension are at an increased risk for developing congestive heart failure during their lifetime. This is because it puts more workload on the heart than is needed. My patient has been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Disease with a secondary diagnosis of hypertension (Center for disease control and prevention, 2013).

One of the many global health issues that interests me is heart disease. Heart disease has been a major issue for many of the patient’s that I come across in the hospital. It seems to have become an epidemic. At one point heart disease was an uncommon cause of death until about the 21st century which it now has become the leading cause of death (CDC 2013).

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S., killing over 611,000 people in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This technology could be a godsend for those in need of a heart — and no transplants available.

When dealing with a cardiovascular disorder, a child’s heart has to work harder in order for that child to be able to accomplish everyday tasks. Heart disease is not a major cause of death in children, but it is the number one cause of death among adults in the United States. It is silly, and even worse, sad to see a life taken away by a condition that could have been prevented.

Tayt Andersen is an 8 year old boy from Rigby, Idaho, but he isn’t like all the other little kids in Rigby. Tayt was born without the left side of his heart. And, at just seven years old, he has had nine open-heart surgeries, twenty-four shunt revision surgeries, and three other life-saving surgeries. He has been Life Flighted ten times, flat-lined six times, and has spent more than three-fourths of his life in hospital beds at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Embree)

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is a life-threatening condition in which the signaling in the ventricles of the hearts is no longer coordinated. The loss of this coordinated signaling causes rapid, random and chaotic signaling leading to spasms of the ventricular walls. During VF, blood is not being circulated to the brains and the rest of the body and is therefore deprived of oxygen. This condition can be reversed by using a defibrillator, which sends an electric discharge of direct current to the victim (1). Improper signaling of electrical activity in the heart can also lead to a rapid heart rate. This type of tachycardia is called ventricular tachycardia (VT) and may lead to VF (Figure 1). Pulseless VT is also with defibrillation and VF and VT are both considered shockable heart rhythms (2,3).