INTRODUCTION:
The word angina is well derived from origin of Latin word “Angere” which means “to choke” and “pectus” means “chest” or it is also derived from origin of Greek word “Ankhone” which means a “strangling”. (Marc D Haber, Feb 18, 2015)
Angina is mostly caused by myocardial ischemia. Coronary atherosclerosis mostly causes reduction in the oxygen delivery. During exercise or hard working heart need more oxygen rich blood. If coronary arteries are unable to supply oxygen rich blood to heart because of its narrowing, than there will arise chest pain known as angina. (shenozaki et al 2008)
Angina pectoris is, deadly strangling painful feeling generally present in the retro-sternal region. The pain spread out to the neck, jaws, shoulders
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(Tobin, 2010)
When the symptoms last for two months at least, without any alteration in nature, severity or activating conditions, than such type angina is known is “chronic stable angina”. Stable angina usually result when there is an imbalance between demand of myocardial oxygen and supply of coronary blood, which is not always related with coronary artery disease presence. There may or may not be classical symptoms present in the patient having stable angina. Patients having diabetes mellitus and in the elderly patients may present with silent myocardial ischemia. (Jason M Tarkin 2013)
Clinical characteristics of stable angina
Chest tightness, heaviness, or pressure like discomfort or constriction radiating to left arm, neck, jaw, back or epigastrium
Trigger by physical activity, excitement, emotion or sexual
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In epicardial vessels there is not enough resistance to blood flow in healthy heart. Due to the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries or vessels, blood flow is slow down, but autoregulation process can pay off to a certain degree. Autorgulation is the process of myocardial vessel dilation in response to diminish supply of oxygen. By autoregulation process, there are rapid changes in blood flow to heart because of increase in demand. Adenosine which is potent vasodilator, are the key mediators that are involved in myocardial perfusion. Other mediators are nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandins (PGE2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen ions. Obstruction as result of atherosclerosis can be fixed to coronary blood flow, or dynamics as with coronary
A 68 year old male presented to the emergency department at 0800 hours via ambulance after experiencing chest discomfort and intermittent palpitations since 0500 hours. Prior to presentation, the patient stated he
The most common type of heart disease is called coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease develops when the arteries narrow and become hard. The heart cannot receive all the blood it needs through the stiff narrow arteries. Symptoms include pressure and chest pain or squeezing in the chest which is also known as angina. Angina should be understood as a warning sign and that the sufferer is at an increased risk of a heart attack. When blood is blocked from getting to the heart for more than twenty minutes the result is a heart attack. The symptoms of a heart attack can be less dramatic than what television portrays. The Clutching of the chest and falling to the floor is not what women should expect. The common signs for women to look for are heartburn, loss of appetite, feeling tired or weak, shortness of breath, nausea, and pain in the back, neck or jaw. Women should not hesitate to call for help should they experience these symptoms. It is important that women do not let shame or embarrassment keep them from taking action to insure their safety.
and a 5-year history of angina pectoris. During the past week he has had more frequent episodes of
Thomas’ chief complaint was a persistent, crushing chest pain that radiates to his left arm, jaw, neck, and shoulder blade. He also described the pain as a squeezing sensation around his heart. The medical term for this patient’s chief complaint is angina pectoris. Angina pectoris is the medical term for the chest pain or discomfort due to coronary heart disease.
Coronary artery disease affects the circulatory system. Chemically, this disease develops when blood vessels that are necessary for living become badly damaged. Cholesterol plaques become inflamed in the arteries. The most common signs and symptoms are chest pains which tighten the chest as if someone were standing on it. Shortening of breath also affects those with this disease because the heart is unable to supply enough blood. A major sign of this disease is having a heart attack. This indicates an artery that is completely blocked. This disease is caused by damaging the coronary arteries by smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. To diagnose this disease, medical physicians will perform physical exams and examine blood
Analyzing Mr. Edward blood pressure (140/85) during his last visit to the doctor, plus the constipation and the GERD, and also the level of his cholesterol, it show that he has all the condition to develop myocardial
Nevertheless, there is an understandable and noticeable link between circulatory related diseases and lifestyle diseases, such as Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary heart disease can occur when fatty acids, such as cholesterol in an inadequate diet, build up in the walls of the coronary artery. These fatty deposits collect minerals and harden to become a plaque. Eventually, this plaque grows and can swells up, forming an aneurism. In some cases, this aneurism may burst leading to instant death. As it continues to grow and swell up, it finally blocks the artery completely and forms blood clots. This is known as coronary thrombosis. A myocardial infarction, or in other words as heart attack, occurs when no oxygen is able to reach the coronary artery and thus it is unable to fulfil its role in providing the heart muscle with a sufficient supply of blood. Heart attacks are very common in the society nowadays, especially occurring in smokers or obesity related diseases (Millar, June 2014)
Mr. Howard, a 57-year-old man, had a 3-month history of progressive typical anginal chest pain. He reported that the symptoms first occurred with heavy exertion and involved what he described as“heaviness” in his chest. The symptoms were promptly relieved with rest. Over the past weeks, he had been experiencing increasingly frequent episodes of chest pain and diaphoresis. The episodes had become more prolonged, and he had experienced one episode of pain occurring at rest after a heavy meal. Mr. Howard was moderately obese and had a 20-year history of hypertension, which was being treated. Other risk factors in Mr. Howard’s history include hypercholesterolemia (350 mg/dL), which he was attempting to treat with dietary modifications, and a 30-year two-pack-a-day smoking history which continued up to the present time. Mr. Howard previously had surgery for a bilateral inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy, and arthroscopic surgery on his left knew. He also gave a history of problems with gastric reflux and was currently taking cimetidine (Tagamet).
Cardiac: Mrs. Elliot states she has experienced chest pain 5-6 times starting three weeks ago when she is Short of breath. The pain she said is on the left side of chest and describes is as sore and uncomfortable. Additionally, the patient has experienced palpitations the past few weeks and is positive for peripheral edema. Denies redness, cyanosis, jaundice, flushing.
We present a case of 51-year-old male who presented to emergency room with complaints of typical chest pain.
Clearly differentiate the pathophysiology of angina and myocardial infarction, including signs and symptoms. (5 marks)
An interesting case I attended to involved an elderly man in his 80s who is a non-smoker and non-alcoholic. He looked grayish, pale and sweaty, which is the typical appearance of a cardiac patient. He presented with chest pain that he gave a pain score of 8/10, and which worsened upon inspiration. He also presented with vomiting and shortness of breath. Electrocardiogram (ECG) indicated a ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Paramedic believes it was an anterior infarct with elevation in V2, V3, V4 leads and reciprocal depression in Leads II, III and aVF. The patient had several risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, being overweight and living a sedentary lifestyle. He has had chest pain previously, but it was
Angina is associated with clinical events that can affect prognosis, for example Von Arnim et al
Heart attack occurs when a blood clot suddenly and completely blocks a diseased coronary artery, resulting in the death of the heart muscle cells supplied by that artery. Coronary and Coronary Thrombosis 2 are terms that can refer to a heart attack. Another term, Acute Myocardial Infarction 2, means death of heart muscle due to an inadequate blood supply.
One of the most common symptoms in these cases includes chest pain which is also referred to as angina. It is due to the lack of oxygen in the heart. The pain in the chest can vary from one person to the other. The pain is generally observed under the breast bone. It is seen that the pain is mainly triggered with increased motion and activity. In the case of women, the symptoms can be fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath. Angina is the sign