Chapters authored
Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Diagnosis and Management
Cardiovascular disease is expected to be the main cause of death globally due to the rapidly increasing prevalence of obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Atherosclerotic lesions and plaque rupture are the most common cause of myocardial infarction. Resting 12-lead ECG is the first diagnostic test for patients with chest pain and should be performed and interpreted within the first 10 min of the patient’s admission to the emergency department. Cardiac biomarkers preferably, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin, is mandatory in all patients with suspected NSTEMI for the diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment. Rapid, efficient diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with chest pain will help to administer the appropriate medication and plan for the timing of invasive strategy and the choice of revascularization. This chapter helps to simply but elaborately discuss the diagnosis, risk stratification and the management of patients with non-ST elevation of myocardial infarction.
Part of the book: Myocardial Infarction
Calcium Channel Blockers
Vasospasm refers to a condition in which an arterial spasm leads to vasoconstriction. This can lead to tissue ischemia and necrosis. Coronary vasospasm can lead to significant cardiac ischemia associated with symptomatic ischemia or cardiac arrhythmia. Cerebral vasospasm is an essential source of morbidity and mortality in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. It can happen within 3–15 days with a peak incidence at 7 days after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Calcium channel blockers are widely used in the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmias, and other disorders like SAH vasospasm related and Migraine. The specific treatment of cerebral vasospasm helps improving cerebral blood flow to avoid delayed ischemic neurologic deficit by reducing ICP, optimizing the rate of cerebral oxygen demand, and enhancing cerebral blood flow with one of the following approaches: indirect pharmacological protection of brain tissue or direct mechanical dilation of the vasospastic vessel. Nimodipine is the standard of care in aneurysmal SAH patients. Nimodipine 60 mg every 4 hours can be used for all patients with aneurysmal SAH once the diagnosis is made for 21 days.
Part of the book: New Insight into Cerebrovascular Diseases