What is coronary heart disease? How to take care of it?

In daily life, we often hear the word "coronary heart disease". It is like an invisible sword hanging over the heads of many people. Coronary heart disease is a cardiovascular disease caused by myocardial ischemia and hypoxia due to coronary artery stenosis or blockage. The coronary artery is the main blood vessel of the heart, responsible for providing the heart with sufficient oxygen and nutrients. When the coronary artery is narrowed or blocked, it will cause myocardial ischemia, hypoxia, and even necrosis. In severe cases, it may cause serious consequences such as myocardial infarction.

So, why does coronary heart disease occur? This is related to many factors, including bad living habits (smoking: harmful substances in tobacco can damage vascular endothelial cells and promote the formation of atherosclerosis), genetic factors, aging, hypertension (long-term hypertension can cause thickening and hardening of the blood vessel wall, thereby affecting the blood supply of the coronary artery), hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood can easily form plaques on the blood vessel wall, leading to coronary artery stenosis), diabetes (high blood sugar can damage vascular endothelial cells and increase the risk of atherosclerosis), etc. These factors will cause the inner wall of the coronary artery to gradually accumulate fat, cholesterol and other substances, forming plaques, and eventually leading to vascular stenosis or blockage.

Now that we understand the causes of coronary heart disease, I will share some specific care methods to help patients and their families better manage this disease.

1. Diet adjustment:

Low-fat diet: Encourage patients to eat low-fat, low-cholesterol foods such as lean meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits. Avoid excessive intake of red meat, offal, dairy products, and fried foods.

High-fiber diet: Recommend that patients eat foods rich in fiber, such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. Fiber helps lower cholesterol levels and prevent constipation.

Control salt intake: Reduce salt intake to lower blood pressure, avoid processed foods and takeaways as they are often high in salt. Also avoid strong coffee and tea.

It is recommended to use unsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil instead of butter or other saturated fats.

Focus on potassium intake in your diet, such as bananas, potatoes, and tomatoes, to help control blood pressure.

2.Weight Management:

Set reasonable goals: Assess your patient's height, age, and body shape to set reasonable weight goals.

Dietary plan: Develop a personalized diet plan that includes three meals and snacks to ensure that the patient consumes adequate nutrients while controlling calorie intake.

Exercise plan: According to the patient's physical condition and the doctor's advice, develop an appropriate exercise plan, which may include aerobic exercise (such as walking, gymnastics) and strength training.

3. Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption:

The harmful substances in tobacco can accelerate the hardening of blood vessels, while excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure and arrhythmia. Quitting smoking and drinking in moderation are essential for heart health.

4. Regular exercise:

Patients with coronary heart disease must rest in bed during the acute phase and do appropriate exercise during the recovery phase. They can do moderate aerobic exercise, such as cycling, to enhance myocardial function and improve blood circulation. They can do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week. It should be noted that everyone has different physical conditions. Before exercising, you should consult a doctor and develop a personalized exercise plan to avoid strenuous exercise and overwork, so as not to increase the burden on the heart.

5. Drug treatment:

Take medications as directed by the doctor, ensure that patients use medications correctly according to the doctor's instructions, take antiplatelet aggregation, beta-blockers, lipid-lowering drugs, drugs to improve myocardial blood supply, etc. on time, and monitor the side effects of the drugs.

6. Psychological care:

Establish a good nurse-patient relationship and listen to the patient's feelings and needs.

Provide emotional support and comfort to encourage patients to face their illness positively.

Nursing staff must always be aware of the patient's mental state, personality traits, likes and dislikes, etc., so that the patient can maintain an optimistic and relaxed mental state and help the patient reduce anxiety and depression. Relaxation techniques, psychological counseling and other methods can be used.

7. Sleep management:

Maintain good sleep, including going to bed and getting up on time, creating a quiet and comfortable sleeping environment, try not to work at night, and develop a regular sleep pattern.

8. Regular inspection:

Arrange regular follow-up to monitor the patient's condition and treatment effect, including electrocardiogram, blood pressure monitoring and blood lipid test.

9. Emergency handling:

Make sure patients and their families understand how to properly use an automated external defibrillator (AED) to respond to sudden cardiac arrest.

Make sure patients understand the signs of acute angina or myocardial infarction and know how to get help right away if they experience these symptoms.

In general, patients with coronary heart disease should avoid fatigue, anxiety, anger, and emotional excitement, get enough rest, eat a low-salt, low-fat diet, avoid eating too much meat and fish, and eat more vegetables and fruits. As the saying goes, "three parts treatment, seven parts care", so for patients with coronary heart disease, in addition to active treatment after illness, care in daily life is equally important. With the arrival of spring, various diseases have also begun to enter the epidemic period, so you must remember to disinfect regularly, open windows for ventilation, and also pay attention to keeping warm. Remember that prevention is better than cure! (Lei Kai, Lingshou County People's Hospital, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province)