Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Heart Disease

Heart Disease 

Heart disease (Cardiovascular disease) is an abnormal condition of the heart.“Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as those that affect your heart's muscle, valves or rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.”(http://www.mayoclinic.org/) Heart disease is the number one cause of death within women and men in the United States of America. Heart disease is more common within older populations but heart disease is a problem and a risk for people of all ages. Heart disease is more of a risk for people of all ages because of the growing health problems within the world. There are many types of heart disease. Atrial Fibrillation is the most common type of irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation increases the risks of stroke and heart disease. There are many risk factors that increase getting heart disease. These factors include smoking, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, and extreme levels of stress. All of these factors contribute to heart disease. Scientists are making more relevant discoveries to prevent and make symptoms of heart disease better
How is your topic important to science? To human culture? To the economy? 
This topic is extremely important to science because science can reduce the number of deaths. An estimated amount of 17 million people die from heart disease every single year. This is extremely salient to science because scientists create cures to saves lives. Heart disease is important human culture because millions of human are being affected by this disease every day. Also, people, particularly aged persons, are losing their lives to this horrible disease. This topic is important to the economy because whenever scientists, doctors, and other individuals find cures the economy improves. Furthermore, finding a cure and undergoing procedures for heart disease would increase jobs therefore stabilizing the economy.  

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
 One of the scientific approaches to controlling irregular heart beats is to use an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). An ICD is an electrical device, “Used to control heart fibrillation by application of an electric current to the chest wall or heart.” An ICD is wired into a vein that reaches the patients heart. The ICD helps regulate heartbeats by shocking the heart whenever the heartbeat is irregular. These Defibrillators will cost less than $100,000 for each quality-adjusted life-year as long as the ICD lasts more than 7 years long.  

Benefits:  
Heart Beat is Regular
The benefits of this device is that the heartbeat will be regular. This means that there is a smaller chance of getting strokes and heart attacks.  

Reduction of Heart Beat Stabilizer Medications
Second of all, a patient will be able to reduce heartbeat stabilizing medicines. The heartbeat is already being regulated by the ICD. Normally a patient takes medicine to insure that their heart beat is regular, or regular to what their heart beat has been for the last few years.  

Continuously Monitors Heart
Third, an ICD monitors a person's heart continuously. Therefore, there is support for the heart to continuously beat properly. Most times heart disease patients have to measure their heart own beat (or have an aide take their pulse) and call 911 if their heart beat is becoming extremely irregular. An ICD recognizes whenever your heart is irregular and shocks it to beat regularly 24/7. So even when a person is sleeping the ICD is working. This leaves less possibility for death while sleeping.  

Heart Transplant:
A heart transplant is a surgery that gives a heart from a heart donor to a patient that has heart problems. A heart transplant is broken up into three surgeries. The first one is getting the heart from the donor. Most of the time, the heart is received from someone that was suffering from a condition that doesn’t affect the heart. The organs are also harvested from people that agreed to donate their heart.The heart is then removed from the donor and is brought to a patient. The second part of the procedure is removing the damaged heart from the patient. The third part of the surgery is implanting the heart of the donor to the patient. Heart transplants are $262,000 for a single kidney to over $1,148,000 for a heart and lung transplant. (Rates vary for each individual.) Heart transplant are extremely controversial because of the numerous risks.  

Benefits:
Increased strength, energy and stamina. Whenever a person has heart disease they are limited to what they are able to do. There are a lot of risks and many people get tired in completing everyday tasks. Getting out of breath is something that is very common within patients that have heart disease. With a heart transplant there is increased strength, energy, and stamina because the heart is like new. Heart transplant recipients are able to participate in everyday tasks. Easier Living If a heart transplant is successful a patient is able to live an easier live. Heart diseased patients are limited to what they can do. Getting a heart transplant would mean that they could participate in many of the enjoyable tasks which leads to easier living. Less medication, more enjoyable time with family members, and a more regular stable life. Extends Life Span Whenever a patient gets a new heart they are decreasing the risks of the diseases that affected their old heart. Patients are able to change the outcome of what their old situation was. For example, patients are able to exercise more, maintain a more regular life, and get rid of the likeliness of getting another heart disease with a new heart.  

Risks of ICD:
There are many benefits of having an ICD but there are also many risks involved.  

Contact with electrical devices/devices with magnetic fields and radiation should be avoided. Cell phones and MP3 players (for example, iPods), industrial welders, household appliances, such as microwave ovens, electrical generators, high-tension wires, metal detectors should all be avoided. There are electrical/magnetic fields that affect an ICD and could cause false shocks.  

Traveling - Shocks can be caused
When traveling with an ICD there are many precautions that should be taken. Screeners and airport staff should be informed that you have an ICD. Hand-held metal detectors should not be used on you. While in an airport (or security area), don’t stand close to a metal detector or security system for prolonged periods of time. Shocks have happened during high-altitude flights that were long so precaution should be taken when taking high-altitude flights.  

Procedures affected by ICD- Shocks Can lead to death
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Shock-wave lithography to treat kidney stones, and Electrocauterization to stop bleeding during surgery are all affected by an ICD. Doctors/healthcare workers should be informed that a patient has an ICD before a surgery takes place.  

Risks of heart transplant:  

Rejection

Acute rejection is rejection that happens right after the heart transplant procedure.  

Chronic rejection happens after many month or years after the heart transplant procedure. A rejection can lead to a patient losing their life because the heart doesn’t want to work with the body. The risks can be reduced by taking anti-rejection medications. Tiredness: Many heart transplant recipients get a feeling of extreme tiredness or fatigue. This includes that recipients getting tired after completing simple tasks. Patients may even get extremely out of breath. High-temperature A high-temperature caused by rejection is normally above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The high-temperature is brought on by heart rejection and not other environmental factors. For example, in an air conditioned room a well-hydrated patient gets high-temperatures. Infections Infections because of the heart transplant can weaken the immune system. This means that a patient can more likely get sick and not fight off diseases. These infections can lead to bacterial infections to even fungal infections. Primary graft dysfunction Primary graft dysfunction is whenever the heart fails to work. This can lead to death or major problems with the body’s function. Also, graft dysfunction can create damage to the heart.  

Reflection:  

Should we consider re-designing this stage of life?
Heart disease is more common within older populations but heart disease is a problem and a risk for people of all ages. There are many people within the world that are being affected by heart disease because of health problems. I think that individuals of any age with heart diseases should consider re-designing their stage of life. Life is extremely precious and getting a defibrillator or a heart transplant is sometimes the only way for people to survive. I think that a person should consider: What are the risks? How long will I live? Do the risks outweigh the benefits? Will this scientific re-design really improve my life? Each person's individuality is extremely important. I think that redesigning life is an important consideration if a person thinks that a heart transplant or defibrillator is really the best option for them to live longer.  

Moral vs. immoral? I think that this stage ICDs and heart transplant are moral. The hearts are received from a donor that willingly gives up their hearts. ICDs are created and are put in during surgery. The only way that this scientific engineering process could be considered immoral is if the engineering process hurt more people than it helped. Overall, these concepts are moral because they do have benefits of helping people live longer.  

Does it affect your present stage of life?
Heart disease affects people of all different ages. I do not have heart disease. Furthermore, I must maintain healthy living habits to eliminate risks of getting heart disease. The activities that I participate in now affect how my life will be later. People of all ages, all over the world get heart disease and are affected by this disease. There are different cures for each age group and each individual copes in different ways.

Interview Questions:




 References

Heart Transplant: Learn About Guidelines and Surgery. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://www.medicinenet.com/heart_transplant/article.htm

Heart transplant - Risks . (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2015, from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/heart-transplant/Pages/Risks.asp
Braus, P. (2014). Heart disease. In K. L. Lerner & B. W. Lerner (Eds.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (5th ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=SCIC&action=e&catId=GALE%7C00000000MUR6&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CCV2644031081&source=Bookmark&u=las89135&jsid=a2671ac04b263e9014559f75acbff74b

Heart disease. (2014, Jul. 29). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/basics/definition/con-20034056
High-Fructose Corn Syrup May Cause Cardiovascular Disease - Atlanta Blackstar. (2013, October 11). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/10/11/high-fructose-corn-syrup-may-cause-cardiovascular-disease/
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