Name the organ system that contains the heart and blood vessels.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) occurs when the coronary arteries become narrowed. What type of substance builds up inside the coronary arteries to cause this narrowing?
Why is it vital that blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle is maintained?
Narrowed coronary arteries can be treated using a medical device called a stent. Describe how a stent works to treat a narrowed artery.
A patient with several narrowed arteries could be treated with either coronary stents or coronary bypass surgery.
Table 1 shows some information about these two treatments.
| Coronary Stents | Coronary Bypass Surgery |
|---|---|
| Inserted under local anesthetic | Performed under general anesthetic (open-heart surgery) |
| Recovery time is usually 1 to 2 days | Recovery time is usually 6 to 12 weeks |
| Small risk of blood clots forming on the stent | Lower risk of localized blood clotting |
| May need to be repeated if the artery narrows again | Highly durable, rarely needs to be repeated within 10 to 15 years |
Suggest two reasons why a patient might choose to have coronary stents instead of bypass surgery.
Suggest one reason why a physician might advise a patient to undergo coronary bypass surgery instead of receiving stents.
Draw a line to match each medical condition to its correct treatment.
Medical Condition
Treatment Options