Case Study
Page 1
A Case Study on Cardiovascular System
Mr. Chung is a 40 year old Chinese salesman, who works very hard and is under much
stress to sell. He suffers from mild hypertension and is under treatment, though not very
regular. One month ago, while jogging, he experiences an unusual, tight band-like
discomfort, over his chest. He began to sweat profusely, cold sweat. He felt dizzy.
Realizing that something was not right, he called his colleague who was nearby, to
come and help him. While he rested in the car, the colleague informed Mr. Chung’s wife,
and drove him to the emergency room of a nearby medical center.
An ECG done there confirmed that he had indeed taken a heart attack. Mr. Chung’s
ECG on arrival at emergency room, shows that he is having acute myocardial infarction.
The cardiologist there decided to perform an immediate angioplasty (primary
angioplasty). Mr. Chung had total occlusion of his coronary artery (the blood vessel
which transfers oxygenated blood to the heart muscles). This was treated with a
coronary stent. He had chest pains at about 10am. He reached the medical center at
11.30am, and the cardiologist opened the artery and implanted the stent at about
12.30noon (2hrs 30mins after the onset of chest pains). He was discharged about three
days later showing full recovery of the heart muscle that was initially damaged. His ECG
was virtually normal.
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Session Date
Identification of Problem(s) On the basis of case study, what are
the main symptoms of the disorder?
What is the confirmed disease in this case study?
Outline the cause(s) of problem(s)
What are the main causes of this disease?
What happens to the heart during this disorder?
What do you mean by occlusion of coronary artery?
How does this occlusion lead to this disorder?
Why this disorder is also called myocardial infarction?
Recommendation of appropriate solution(s) What could be the possible remedy
to treat this disorder?
What is coronary stent?
How coronary stent treats this disorder?