Case Study - Myocardial Infarction

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Mr Varga is a 49 year old male who presents to the emergency department with central chest pain. He has no personal history of coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction, and no known family history of atherosclerotic heart disease. Mr Varga stated that he has associated symptoms of nausea, diaphoresis, and pain radiating to both shoulders and down his left arm, which he rates as a pain score of ten out of ten. When Mr Varga is questioned about his social history, he states that he smokes fifteen cigarettes a day, does very little exercise, works in an office and feels very anxious and guilty about his lifestyle as he considers it to be a contributing factor to his admission. Mr Varga is afebrile, has a blood pressure of 106/62 mm Hg, a regular pulse of 68 beats per minute, a respiratory rate of 18 breaths per minute and an oxygen saturation of 96% on room air. Blood tests expose that his Troponin I result is 2.4, and an echocardiogram reveals an acute ST elevation myocardial infarction. Risk Factors and Health Promotion In 2012 there were 20,046 reported deaths that were a result of cardiovascular disease, which was the leading cause of death in 2012 and accounted for 13.6% of the total number of deaths for that year (ABS 2012). According to the Department of Health (2013) there are many risk factors for cardiovascular disease, some of which cannot be altered. These factors can include; age, family history and congenital defects. Some risk factors that can be altered are; smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. Mr Varga leads a sedentary lifestyle, and this coupled with his habit of smoking fifteen cigarettes a day puts him at higher risk of health problems, particularly problems associated with the cardiovascular and respiratory system. The way of living associated with Mr Varga’s case study, smoking

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