Brainlag PlusCoronary heart disease and its treatments, risk factors and what data can and cannot show, and benign and malignant tumours.
Coronary heart disease
Fatty material builds up inside the coronary arteries, narrowing them.
Less blood reaches the heart muscle, which gets too little oxygen; a blocked artery can cause a heart attack.
- Stent: a mesh tube that holds the artery open. Works straight away; a small procedure with risks (clot, infection) and the artery can narrow again.
- Statins: lower blood cholesterol, slowing the build-up. No operation, but taken every day for years, slow to act, possible side effects.
- Faulty valves can be replaced (mechanical: lasts, but anti-clotting drugs for life; biological: no such drugs, but wears out). A transplant needs a donor and drugs against rejection; an artificial heart keeps someone alive while they wait.
"Evaluate" means both sides of each treatment and a conclusion for this patient.
The rest of this lesson and its 11 practice questions are in Plus.
Screen 1 of 4, free to read.
- 11 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards