Aa
General Heart principals for a medical student
If a drug was found whose only apparent side effect was to temporarily increase the heart rate, could this be used in anyway to treat/help people of varying health?
The drug I am talking about has a very short half life and it's effects will subside within 2 hours.
For instance if a person were bedridden for a long time, could this help them by artificially and safely raising their heart rate? (the drug is proven safe)
And as a final question, if one were to have a patient with a strong family history of heart disease, would it be beneficial to surgically increase cardiac blood flow well before any symptoms were observed, for example as soon as the patient hit 30, graft a piece of his ulnar artery connecting the left atrium and ventricle?
The drug I am talking about has a very short half life and it's effects will subside within 2 hours.
For instance if a person were bedridden for a long time, could this help them by artificially and safely raising their heart rate? (the drug is proven safe)
And as a final question, if one were to have a patient with a strong family history of heart disease, would it be beneficial to surgically increase cardiac blood flow well before any symptoms were observed, for example as soon as the patient hit 30, graft a piece of his ulnar artery connecting the left atrium and ventricle?
QUOTE: Hey thanks for your response, I do have a question though: what is prophylactic bypass? (I couldn't find it online).
>>Prophylactic coronary vessel bypass implies a safeguard against advancing coronary artery disease and a prevention of a heart attack. The subject has come up in response to a high CT heart scan score (soft plaque) that seems to prognosticate a high risk for an MI....so someone can reason a bypass to prevent a possible future heart attack!
There are several reasons against prophylatic bypass:
1) Bypass surgery does not reduce the long term risk for heart attack.
2) The risk of bypass surgery often outweighs the risk of an asymptomatic heart scan score.
3) Bypass surgery is a temporary "fix," a fancy Band Aid for a disease that progresses after the procedure. One bypass typically prompts another, and another...
4) Bypassing arteries that have vigorous blood flow often causes the bypass graft to not "take" and close within the first few days.
>>Prophylactic coronary vessel bypass implies a safeguard against advancing coronary artery disease and a prevention of a heart attack. The subject has come up in response to a high CT heart scan score (soft plaque) that seems to prognosticate a high risk for an MI....so someone can reason a bypass to prevent a possible future heart attack!
There are several reasons against prophylatic bypass:
1) Bypass surgery does not reduce the long term risk for heart attack.
2) The risk of bypass surgery often outweighs the risk of an asymptomatic heart scan score.
3) Bypass surgery is a temporary "fix," a fancy Band Aid for a disease that progresses after the procedure. One bypass typically prompts another, and another...
4) Bypassing arteries that have vigorous blood flow often causes the bypass graft to not "take" and close within the first few days.
Hey thanks for your response, I do have a question though: what is prophylactic bypass? (I couldn't find it online)
1. Certain asthma medications will do that (increase heart rate) but usually for 10 minutes or so. Many heart patients take them safely and regularly. That is only one example and I can't speak for all medications with that side effect. And much depends on the individual patient.
2. Raising a person's heart rate for 10 minutes or 2 hours doesn't solve the underlying problem. If brady is an ongoing problem, a pacemaker is usually implanted to improve rate and function.
3. I've never heard of prophylactic bypass done on a person.
2. Raising a person's heart rate for 10 minutes or 2 hours doesn't solve the underlying problem. If brady is an ongoing problem, a pacemaker is usually implanted to improve rate and function.
3. I've never heard of prophylactic bypass done on a person.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.
