Wk 4 Assignment Discussion
Introduction
The cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems often coexist. This means that shared risk health risk factors are also common which increases the chances of adverse complications with high and instant hospitalization demands. Notably, the 2012 World Health Organization (WHO) statistics indicated that 52% of global adult deaths resulted from cardiovascular, respiratory, or related disorders (CVRDs) (Carter, et al., 2019). This makes up about 44% of the all the deaths occurring in the world. Treatment seeks to reduce disabilities, improve the quality of life of the patient and as well improve longevity. As such, the understanding of the relationship between these two systems is crucial in diagnosis and formulation of a diagnostic plan. The purpose of this paper is to explore the patient’s symptoms, the associated cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiologic processes and their interactions as well as the racial variables impacting the physiological functioning using the case study of a 65-year-old patient who is 8 days post op after a total knee replacement. Wk 4 Assignment Discussion
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The patient presents to the clinic with complains of shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain, and palpitations. This indicates the onset of atrial fibrillation and right ventricular strain pattern. Atrial fibrillation is associated with chaotic electrical signal experiences by in the heart resulting from rapid and irregular heartbeats. These often affects the two chambers of the heart getting the heart rate to a range of between 100 to 175 beats per minute (Prabhakaran et al., 2018). This condition occurred in the patient due to the surgery and may also be linked to myocardial infarction as well as other underlying infections. Wk 4 Assignment Discussion
The cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiologic processes influence the patient’s symptoms. The operation that was carried out could have clogged the arteries which made the patient to develop shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain and palpitations. Arteries carry oxygenated blood throughout the body and hence, the presence of blood clots hinders the effective transport is this important gas thus straining the breathing process. Arterial plaques also block the blood vessels, reduce blood flow, overburden the heart and sometimes even block the arteries. Heart palpitations are common after surgery and are associated with post-operative atrial fibrillation.
The interactions between the cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiologic processes interact to affect the patient in different ways. For instance, the cardiovascular system pumps blood in and out of the heart. This supports the cardiopulmonary functions which regulates blood flow between the heart and the lungs through the pulmonary artery. The link between the two systems is essential in maintaining the health of the patient. However, the alteration of one system affects the other as seen demonstrated by the presence of atrial fibrillation hence developing symptoms in both systems.
Racial/ethnic variables impact physiological functioning of an individual. In essence, African American populations have high risks of suffering both the cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. However, there is a higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation development among the whites in comparison to the black community. According to Chen et al., (2019), the reason for these racial variations is not well known even though genetic predisposition as well as larger left atrial sizes among the whites has been linked to the physiologic functioning. Wk 4 Assignment Discussion
Conclusion
Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems are linked together in terms of functionality and so are the risks of developing diseases. Atrial fibrillation is a relevant condition affecting these systems particularly after surgery due to developing of blood clots and arterial alterations which hinder blood flow and reduce the efficiency of gaseous exchange in the lung resulting in pleuritic chest pain, palpitations and shortness of breath. Racial factors influencing these systems include genetic predisposition as well as the atrial sizes.
References
Carter, P., Lagan, J., Fortune, C., Bhatt, D. L., Vestbo, J., Niven, R., … & Miller, C. A. (2019). Association of cardiovascular disease with respiratory disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 73(17), 2166-2177.
Chen, M. L., Parikh, N. S., Merkler, A. E., Kleindorfer, D. O., Bhave, P. D., Levitan, E. B., … & Kamel, H. (2019). Risk of atrial fibrillation in black versus White Medicare beneficiaries with implanted cardiac devices. Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(4), e010661.
Prabhakaran, D., Anand, S., Watkins, D., Gaziano, T., Wu, Y., Mbanya, J. C., … & Ali, M. K. (2018). Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related disorders: key messages from Disease Control Priorities. The Lancet, 391(10126), 1224-1236. Wk 4 Assignment Discussion