Heart's Blood Supply: Heart requires its own blood supply due to lack of access to oxygen and nutrients within the heart chambers.
Coronary Circulation: Utilizes its own system of arteries, veins, and capillaries for blood delivery.
Blood Flow Dynamics
Blood Flow: Generally smooth and consistent in smaller arteries away from the heart.
Heart's Function: Blood exits the heart in pulses, following the rhythm of heartbeats.
Windkessel Effect: A mechanism ensuring smooth blood flow despite pulsating output from the heart.
Involves elastic rebound of arteries that alternately expand and contract.
Elastic Rebound: Arteries like the aorta expand with blood pressure and contract during heart relaxation, aiding in constant blood flow.
Coronary Circulation and Windkessel Effect
Elastic rebound ensures blood flow to the heart itself.
Coronary Arteries: Blood is pushed through coronary arteries during heart relaxation due to the aorta's elastic rebound.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Definition: Blockage of coronary arteries reducing blood flow.
Causes: Plaque formation within artery walls, leading to ischemia.
Symptoms: Angina pectoris (chest pain), potential radiating pain to arm, neck, or jaw.
Infarction: Tissue death due to prolonged ischemia; myocardial infarction (heart attack) is specific to heart muscle.
Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction
Methods:
ECG: Monitoring heart's electrical activity.
Blood Tests: Checking for heart-specific enzymes released during cell death.
Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease
Lifestyle Modifications: Reducing risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Medications:
Anticoagulants to prevent clotting.
Drugs to manage heart activity and dilate blood vessels.
Surgical Options:
Atherectomy: Inserting a device to clear plaques.
Balloon Angioplasty: Expanding arteries with a balloon and placing a stent.
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG): Using a blood vessel from another body part to bypass blocked arteries (can be single, double, triple, etc., depending on blockages).
Risk Factors
Modifiable: Smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle.
Non-Modifiable: Genetics and age.
Conclusion
Emphasis on addressing both lifestyle and genetic predispositions to manage coronary artery disease effectively.