Hi my name is Alondra...
I am a high school senior who is much inspired by the medical field. I major as a Nursing Assistant at a technical school and I am currently the vice president of service for the Ambassadors. The medical field has always inspired me everything about it motivates me to help others. The human body is a complex organism that we have yet to fully understand. The beauty in the medical field that I see is you can save someone's life or change it for the better. Cardiology motivates me to become a cardiologist because the heart is one of the body's most magnificent organs. My career plans after highschool is to attend college and become an RN and eventually go into medical school. My ultimate career goal is to become a cardiothoracic surgeon because it is something that really inspires me to help others in any way that I can.
My Mentors My mentors were nurses, nurse practitioners, techs who worked at the Culinary health center. I got an opportunity to shadow a RN and meet some of her colleagues who guided me through the hospital and answered some of my questions. There was a doctor who specialized in children's cardiology who spared some of her time to answer some of my questions. I learned that she loves getting to interact with the childen and being able to help them as much as she can. Some of her dislikes was not being able to give children the care they need because of insurance. She also talked about how new technology is changing the future of cardiology for example fitness trackers, digital stethescopes, and 3D printing heart valves. She had a good point many of these things have been an incredible advance in cardiology but have not been given enough recognition. I chose to research on the 3D printing heart valves because it is a disease that is increasing in today's world and its cheaper and more efficient. Shadowing the RN, who on that day had a semi- hectic shift, was calm and very hardworking. She had many patients that day she was covering the urgent care floor but she took her time with her patients. She listened to them and made sure to take note of everything they would tell her. I was reminded that day why I wanted to become a CNA and soon a doctor.
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Case Study
Background knowledge
The heart has 4 valves: The bicuspid valve and the tricuspid valve, which control blood from the atria to the ventricles. The semi-lunar valves, which control blood flow out of the ventricles. But with certain risk factors the hart valves can become easily damaged and might need to be repair or replaced. Heart valve disease occurs when one of the flaps is damaged or stops working as efficient, which makes the heart work harder and affects the ability to pump blood. Since old age is a risk factor and people are living longer, heart valve disease has become an increasing problem.
Diagnosis- The doctor will diagnose heart disease by listening to your heartbeat and will look for a heart murmur, depending on the location of the murmur it is possible to determine what type of problem it is ( stenosis or regurgitation).
Signs & Symptoms- Unusual heartbeat or heart murmur, unusually fatigued, shortness of breath, swelling in necks, legs, ankles, and veins in neck, dizziness, can become mitral stenosis
Risk Factor- age related changes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, rheumatic fever, infections, congenital heart defects, autoimmune disorders, high cholesterol, smoking, etc.
Prognosis- There are 182,000 cases in the Unites States per year; there is about a 94% survival rate
Treatments- medicine, replacing or repairing faulty valves, and change of lifestyle
Facts
Diagnosis- The doctor will diagnose heart disease by listening to your heartbeat and will look for a heart murmur, depending on the location of the murmur it is possible to determine what type of problem it is ( stenosis or regurgitation).
Signs & Symptoms- Unusual heartbeat or heart murmur, unusually fatigued, shortness of breath, swelling in necks, legs, ankles, and veins in neck, dizziness, can become mitral stenosis
Risk Factor- age related changes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, rheumatic fever, infections, congenital heart defects, autoimmune disorders, high cholesterol, smoking, etc.
Prognosis- There are 182,000 cases in the Unites States per year; there is about a 94% survival rate
Treatments- medicine, replacing or repairing faulty valves, and change of lifestyle
Facts
- In the Unites States, about 2.5% of the population have valvular heart disease and is more common in adults
- There are nearly 25,000 deaths yearly in the U.S due to valvular heart disease
- Rheumatic hearts disease mostly affects the mitral valve or the aortic valve
- Valvular heart disease deaths are more commonly due to aortic valve disease
What is aortic valve replacement?
Aortic valve repair and semi-lunar valve replacement are procedures that treat diseases affecting the semi-lunar valve, one in every of four valves that control blood flow through the heart. The semi-lunar valve helps keep blood flowing within the correct direction through the heart. It separates the heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle) and therefore the main artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to your body (aorta). With each contraction of the ventricle, the semi-lunar valve opens and allows blood to ensue the ventricle into the aorta. When the ventricle relaxes, the semi-lunar valve closes to stop blood from flowing backward into the ventricle. When the semi-lunar valve isn't working properly, it can interfere with blood flow and force the guts to figure harder to send blood to the remainder of your body. Aortic valve repair or semi-lunar valve replacement can treat semi-lunar valve disease and help restore normal blood flow, reduce symptoms, prolong life and help preserve the function of your heart muscles.
What is mitral valve replacement/ repair?
Mitral valve repair and atrioventricular valve replacement are procedures which will be performed to treat diseases of the atrioventricular valve — the valve located between the left heart chambers (left atrium and left ventricle). Several styles of atrioventricular valve disease exist. In atrioventricular valve regurgitation, the flaps of the atrioventricular valve don't close tightly, causing blood to leak backward into the atrium. This commonly occurs because of valve leaflets bulging back — a condition called atrioventricular valve prolapse. In another condition, called atrioventricular valve stenosis, the leaflets become thick or stiff, and that they may fuse together. This leads to a narrowed valve opening and reduced blood flow through the valve. Treatment for atrioventricular valve disease depends on the severity of your condition. Doctors may recommend surgery to repair or replace atrioventricular valves for a few people with mitral valve disease. Several surgical procedures exist to repair or replace mitral valves, including heart surgery or minimally invasive operation.
Main types of artificial heart valves
Tissue Engineered Heart ValveTissue heart valves (sometimes called “bio-prosthetic” valves) are harvested from pig heart valves (porcine) or from the sac surrounding the guts of a cow (bovine). These tissues are treated and neutralized in order that the body won't reject them. Some tissue valves are mounted on a frame or stent; while others are used directly. the first advantage of tissue valves is that they typically don't require long-term blood thinner therapy. These medications reduce the speed at which blood clots are formed which might cause stroke or embolism, while creating a rise in risk of bleeding events. for many tissue valve patients, taking an aspirin every day is sufficient therapy. However, approximately 1/3 of patients with a tissue valve don't enjoy this, because they need a blood thinner requirement for other heart or vascular conditions. one in every of the objectives of a valve replacement procedure is to revive enough blood flow through the valve to the remainder of the body to permit patients to take care of their active lifestyle. The more the blood flow is restricted through the valve for a patient, the more it should limit the possible level of activity. Heart valve replacement with tissue valves can restore blood flow that will allow patients to return to an almost normal lifestyle. The primary disadvantage of tissue valves is their tendency to wear out and need replacement, especially in patients ≤ 65 years old. The lifetime of tissue valves significantly depends on the patient’s age at the time of the valve replacement surgery. For patients but 65 years old, some aortic tissue valves begin to fail after only 5 years and a few mitral tissue valves begin to fail as early as 4 years after implant. For patients greater than 65 years old, some tissue valves fail after 7 to 10 years. Risk factors that will increase the likelihood of failure include: conditions affecting calcium metabolism or when calcium containing chronic drug therapies are used, including children, adolescents, young adults, and patients on a high calcium diet or maintenance hemodialysis.
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Mechanical Heart Valve
The most widely used mechanical valves are made up of pyrolytic carbon, which has been used for over 30 years in heart valve design. Most mechanical heart valves are bileaflet, meaning that they need two carbon “leaflets” to manage the blood flow to one direction. the first advantage of mechanical valves is that the likelihood of lasting a patient’s lifetime without the necessity for an additional valve operation because the valve has drained. Mechanical valves have excellent blood flow performance, which can benefit patient’s quality of life and skill for exercise. A drawback of mechanical valves is that the risk related to the necessity for keeps long blood thinner (warfarin) therapy. However, when properly managed, rates are relatively low for both bleeding and clotting. Patients will must determine their ability and desire to comply/maintain their blood thinner therapy and lifestyle requirements like regular blood tests, daily medications, and following an even consumption of leafy greens. Mechanical valves can sometimes be heard when opening and shutting. The sound level varies with the patient.