Surgery | Common Surgical Conditions | Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Disease: Coronary Heart Disease and Acute Myocardial Infarction

Cardio Pulmonary Disease: Coronary Heart Disease and Acute MI
Session Overview
Description
This session will provide a brief introduction to coronary heart disease and acute myocardial infarction.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you should be able to:

• Describe the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease
• Identify the signs and symptoms of acute myocardial infarction
• Identify the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors associated with coronary heart disease
• Describe how to manage the risk of peri-operative myocardial infarction in patients with coronary heart disease
• Explain how changes on an ECG can localise narrowing or occlusion of coronary arteries

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• Be able to take a full cardiovascular history and perform an examination of the cardiovascular system
• Understand and interpret electrocardiogram

Coronary heart disease (Fig 1) or ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is a major cause of death and disability in the UK and worldwide. It accounts for on average around 500 hospital admissions per million people each year in the UK.

Symptoms often include chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea and an impending sense of doom. The disease process commonly occurs over a number of years as a consequence of atherosclerosis.

This process can be complicated by coronary artery plaque rupture or intracoronary thrombosis resulting in an acute myocardial infarction.

This session will cover the basic knowledge required to identify and initiate appropriate management in patients presenting with coronary heart disease.