Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has been the number one killer in the United States since 1900 for every year except one. It affects about 80 million Americans and has recently contributed to about 1.5 million deaths in 2006. The amount of cases related to CVD is progressively increasing due to the rise of obesity in both children and adults from unhealthy fast foods and a lack of physical activity (Figure 1).

CVD is composed of a myriad of diseases ranging from the disease of the actual heart organ to the vasculature that exist throughout the body. Therefore, there are two general categories for cardiovascular diseases: disease of the heart itself (cardio), and disease of the blood vessels (vascular). More general types of diseases such as high blood pressure, which is defined to have a systolic pressure greater than 140 mmHg and/or diastolic pressure greater than 90 mmHg, has the highest incidence with 72 million people affected in the United States. Altogether, the numerous types of heart and vascular disease add up together to pose as the deadliest type of disease globally. In 1999, CVD contributed to one third of the global deaths, revealing the fact that CVD has no limitations in terms of geography or gender. However, from the various types of heart diseases, the main type of disease that is very common and often fatal amongst Americans is the heart attack (AHA, Thom).

 

The heart attack, which is also known as acute myocardial infarction, is a sudden event where the heart tissue becomes damaged due to the lack of blood flow to a particular section of the heart. Since blood provides the body and organs with oxygen, blood flow to the heart must be restored quickly to prevent any tissue death.

The leading cause of heart attacks is coronary thrombosis due to a condition called coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary thrombosis is defined as the blockage of the coronary blood vessels of the heart. If enough of the heart does not receive sufficient blood flow for function, sudden cardiac arrest may set in (i.e. heart stops functioning). The chances of surviving is significantly reduced if the heart is not resuscitated on time.

 

Once the heart stops, blood flow gradually comes to a stop, and other significant organs such as the liver, kidneys, and most importantly, the brain become susceptible to irreversible damage. Moreover, the site of the heart that does not obtain sufficient oxygen can also undergo myocardial necrosis (heart muscle death). The infarct site is almost irreversibly damaged due to slow regeneration of the heart tissue. If the myocardial infarct is big enough, the functionality of the heart may be compromised with irregular pumping of blood, which

can lead to other disease such as Heart arrythmia. Tracing back to the cause of myocardial infarcts, heart arrythmia, ischaemic heart disease, and various other heart diseases all lead to CAD. Treating CAD early on may later on prevent the onset of most heart diseases. The role of Coronary Artery Bypass surgery and the conduits that may potentially be used to treat CAD will be presented in the following pages.

Last edited: 6/5/07