Today we'll go through some of the most common cardiovascular disorders, their pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, diagnostic procedures, and management strategies.
Heart Failure
Let's jump right into Heart Failure, a chronic and progressive condition where the heart doesn't pump blood as well as it should. Heart Failure can be Left-sided, leading to pulmonary congestion due to back up of blood into the lungs, or Right-sided, often caused by left-sided failure or pulmonary disease, leading to peripheral edema and organ engorgement as blood backs up into the venous system.
The signs and symptoms of Heart Failure may include dyspnea on exertion, persistent cough or wheezing with white or pink blood-tinged phlegm, fatigue, edema in the lower extremities, and sudden weight gain from fluid retention.
When diagnosing Heart Failure, your doctors will look at patient history, a physical exam, and diagnostic tests like the B-type natriuretic peptide or BNP blood test, chest X-rays, echocardiograms, ECG, and MRI or CT scans.
Management of Heart Failure includes lifestyle changes, like reducing salt intake, medications like ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and diuretics, and sometimes surgeries or devices like ventricular assist devices or heart transplants.
Hypertension
Moving on, let's talk about Hypertension, often dubbed the 'silent killer' because it typically has no symptoms but can lead to serious complications like stroke and heart attack. It's defined as a consistent elevation in systemic arterial blood pressure, with a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mmHg or a diastolic pressure greater than 80 mmHg.
To manage Hypertension, patients should adopt a healthy diet, regular exercise, maintain a normal weight, avoid tobacco, manage stress, and take antihypertensive medications if necessary.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Now, it’s crucial to discuss Coronary Artery Disease or CAD. This results from atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries, which can lead to chest pain or angina, myocardial infarction or heart attack, arrhythmias, or even heart failure.
To diagnose CAD, besides a physical examination and history, your doctor may order tests like a stress test, an angiogram, or advanced imaging studies.
Treatment for CAD includes lifestyle changes, medications like statins, nitroglycerin for angina, and procedures such as angioplasty with stent placement or coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Arrhythmias
Another major topic is Arrhythmias - any change from the normal sequence of electrical impulses in the heart. They could range from harmless to life-threatening. Symptoms might include palpitations, a feeling of skipped heartbeats, dizziness, or chest pain.
For Arrhythmias, electrocardiograms are the primary diagnostic tool, followed by Holter monitoring or event recorders for intermittent issues. Treatment might involve medications, electrical cardioversion, ablations, pacemakers, or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
Lastly, let's review Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), which is a circulation disorder causing the blood vessels outside of your heart and brain to narrow, block, or spasm. Often causing leg pain when walking, PVD is diagnosed through patient history, physical examination, ankle-brachial index, and imaging tests.
Treatment often includes lifestyle modification, medications, angioplasty, or vascular surgery. Remember, managing diabetes and hypertension are key components of PVD treatment.
Conclusion
Remember, nurses, throughout all cardiovascular conditions, patient education is paramount. You'll be advocating for lifestyle changes, explaining medications, and supporting patients through potential surgeries or treatment changes.
Alright, that wraps up our lesson for today! Make sure you keep revisiting these topics as cardiovascular disorders are core components of your NCLEX and nursing practice in general. Keep studying, keep asking questions, and most importantly, remember to take care of your own heart—nursing is a demanding job, and self-care is crucial. Good luck, and you're going to be amazing healthcare providers!
