Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Unstable angina is a type of angina pectoris [1] that is irregular or more easily provoked. [2] It is classified as a type of acute coronary syndrome. [3] It can be difficult to distinguish unstable angina from non-ST elevation (non-Q wave) myocardial infarction.
Unstable angina (UA) (also "crescendo angina"; this is a form of acute coronary syndrome) is defined as angina pectoris that changes or worsens or begins suddenly at rest. [12] Unstable angina is a medical emergency and requires urgent medical treatment from a doctor. [5] It has at least one of these three features: [13]
The most common symptom is centrally located pressure-like chest pain, often radiating to the left shoulder [2] or angle of the jaw, and associated with nausea and sweating. Many people with acute coronary syndromes present with symptoms other than chest pain, particularly women, older people, and people with diabetes mellitus. [3]
All right, as a quick recap…. Angina pectoris is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow resulting in a lack of oxygen in the heart muscle. There are three types: stable angina, unstable angina, and vasospastic angina. Rest tends to relieve stable angina, but not the other two types, and all three can be treated with nitroglycerin.
Wellens' syndrome is an electrocardiographic manifestation of critical proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery stenosis in people with unstable angina. Originally thought of as two separate types, A and B, it is now considered an evolving wave form, initially of biphasic T wave inversions and later becoming symmetrical, often ...
Variant angina is caused by vasospasm, a narrowing of the coronary arteries due to contraction of the heart's smooth muscle tissue in the vessel walls. [3] In comparison, stable angina is caused by the permanent occlusion of these vessels by atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty plaque and hardening of the arteries. [4]
Coronary vasospasm classically produces chest pain at rest, also known as variant angina (vasospastic angina or Prinzmetal's angina). [5] Chest pain is more common at certain times of the day, usually from late night to early morning. [6] These episodes can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, cold sweating, and even syncope.
In synchronized cardioversion, a similar approach is utilized in that electrical current is applied to correct an arrhythmia, however this is used in cases where a pulse is present but the patient is hemodynamically unstable, such as supraventricular tachycardia. Defibrillators may also be used as part of post-cardiac arrest management.