Angina Pectoris is a condition where the patient suffers from severe to moderate CENTRAL CHEST PAIN due to inadequate oxygen supply to the heart muscle. The patient also suffers a feeling of suffocation that is sometimes accompanied by shortness of breath. Angina usually occurs in middle to late life and can be brought on by any number of different factors
Exertion
Anxiety
Stress
Lack of Exercise
Hypertension
High cholesterol
Over eating
Family history
It is not uncommon for the patient to recover quite quickly from an attack, once the have rested for a short time, or maybe taken their medication. This usually consists of small white tablets put under the tongue, or a spray. Whichever method of administration the drug of choice I usually GTN – Glyceryl trinitrate.
Some patients however, may experience the pain of angina for absolutely no reason and may even be woken from sleep as a result. This type of angina is called UNSTABLE and will seldom go away with ordinary medication. This type of condition is a dire emergency and immediate hospitalisation must be sought. There is a very high risk of this condition deteriorating into a myocardial infarction and you must be ready to resuscitate if necessary.
The inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle, the myocardium, is caused through a progressive narrowing of the blood vessels that supply it. This is called atherosclerosis. The progressive narrowing is caused by lesions formed by a fatty substance establishing itself on the walls of the blood vessels supplying the heart. As these lesions grow they trap mineral salts and begin to harden. As they do so, the lumen (the hole though the middle) of the vessel gets smaller and smaller until such time as the bore is so small that blood can no longer pass through. Atherosclerosis can easily be likened to the furring up of water pipes
Source: Paramedic Theory “fourth Edition”
