Question

Case Scenario: Your patient has cardiovascular disease (CVD) and has been admitted with these vitals: BP 190/90, HR 100, RR 35. When asked about symptoms, the patient states, “I have a very bad headache and feel light headed.” History reveals he has had one heart attack three years ago. He is a pack a day smoker and often drinks more than one drink per day. When doing your morning assessment, you find a dime sized wound on his lower leg. The wound is open in the center and red around it. When asked, the patient states his feet and legs are cold much of the time and he no longer walks long distances because of pain in his legs.

Question: State three possible reasons for the symptoms you are seeing, giving detail as to why this could be happening for each symptom.

Answer 1

Cardio vardiovacular diseases include cardiac problems, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. The main cause of cardiovascular diseases is due to the blockage of arteries due to abnormal plaque formation caused by the deposition of fatty substances inside the arteries.

This patient has headache and lightheadedness as a symptom . It is common in people with abnormal heart function. It may be due to abnormal heart rhythms, cardiomyopathy and poor circulation to the brain and inner ear.

The patient has high blood pressure 190/90mm Hg which also a cause of headache and dizziness. High blood pressure cause leakage of blood from vessels to brain tissue and edema. As the brain has no space to expand inside the skull,it cause further pressure inside the brain and leads to headache and dizziness.

The patient has cold feet and legs with a wound on the leg and he feels pain while walking. The reason for this could be peripheral vascular disease. In peripheral vascular disease, due to arteriosclerosis the blood vessels become clogged and narrowed and the blood flow to the leg and feet decreases which leads to hypoxia and formation of non healing wound. The decrease in blood flow also cause cool and clammy peripheries and claudication or pain during walking for a long distance.