Cardiovascular and Cardiopulmonary Pathophysiology

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Case Analysis
Cardiovascular and Cardiopulmonary Pathophysiologic Processes and Symptoms
Racial/Ethnic Variables Impacting Physiological Functioning
How these Processes Interact to Affect the Patient
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary symptoms often intertwine, inducing more dangers and risks. Each of these processes must be studied separately but understanding when nurses and physicians observe symptom manifestations are useful for future practice. The purpose of this paper is to address cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiological processes, highlight racial and ethnic variables that impact physiological functioning, and discuss how these processes interact and affect the patient.

Case Analysis

The man from the case most likely shows acute symptoms of COVID-19 – coughing, chest tightness, chest pain, light-headedness, difficulty breathing, and shallow pulse. Importantly, the electrocardiogram (EKG) was showing ST segment elevation, which can be an early sign of myocardial ischemia. The slight elevation is a sign of tachycardia, more pronounced – pericarditis, ST levels are also studied to predict and diagnose myocardial infarction. In the emergency room (ER), the doctors discovered high troponin I levels – 13ng/I. Troponin is a complex chemical molecule, a protein found in certain types of muscle, especially heart muscle. Under normal conditions, it exists in muscle cells in small amounts, circulating freely in the bloodstream. Damage to heart cells causes troponin to rise sharply within 3 to 12 hours after a heart attack, peaking 24 hours later and remaining elevated for several days.

Therefore, a recorded high level of troponin indicates a heart attack, which also has symptoms of dizziness, loss of consciousness due to difficulty breathing, and chest pain. Importantly, the symptoms of COVID-19 do not include loss of consciousness and difficulty breathing becomes critical, which was not the case with the patient who continued to breathe after being delivered to the ER. High levels of creatine kinase (CK) are present in the blood of athletes, but also indicate muscle, heart, or brain damage, so this factor confirms the diagnosis of a heart attack.

Cardiovascular and Cardiopulmonary Pathophysiologic Processes and Symptoms

Cardiopulmonary is a term used to describe diseases related to the heart and lungs. Cardiopulmonary processes can be determined through outpatient manipulations, such as pulmonary function testing, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, electroencephalogram, cardiac stress testing, and sleep diagnostics. Cardiovascular diseases include coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease, arrhythmia, cerebrovascular disease, and more. Each has symptoms that indicate deviations in the work of the heart muscle, the rhythm of contractions, or problems with blood circulation. Breathing is inextricably linked to blood circulation, and without oxygen saturation of the blood, the function of the heart to pump blood loses its meaning.

Racial/Ethnic Variables Impacting Physiological Functioning

Unfortunately, in the US, higher rates of morbidity and mortality from the disease have been recorded among African American and Latin American groups. Possible reasons include a greater number of people in these groups having co-existing risk factors (Azar et al., 2020). The risk factors include heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), high blood pressure, and chronic lung diseases like cystic fibrosis, or pulmonary hypertension (“Coronavirus disease 2019,” 2022). In other words, this racial bias is due solely to poorer access to preventive medicine among these groups.

How these Processes Interact to Affect the Patient

COVID-19 is a prime example of how the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems are interdependent. The most dangerous symptom of COVID-19 is shortness of breath and the inability to saturate the blood with oxygen. That is why patients with severe symptoms undergo lung ventilation, which allows them to temporarily substitute their function. If lung function is not restored, but deteriorates, the person dies. Equally important, diseases of the cardiovascular system can be risk factors for cardiopulmonary diseases.

Conclusion

Thus, the patient from the case was diagnosed with heart failure, with the need to make a test for COVID-19 antibodies. Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiological processes are related through the function of the lungs with oxygen saturation of the blood. Problems with the lungs can become a risk factor for problems in the cardiovascular system, while the latter is a risk factor for cardiopulmonary diseases such as COVID-19. Racial and ethnic differences in COVID-19 are caused precisely by the influence of such risk factors.

References

Azar, K. M., Shen, Z., Romanelli, R. J., Lockhart, S. H., Smits, K., Robinson, S., & Pressman, A. R. (2020). Disparities in outcomes among COVID-19 patients in a large health care system in California: Study estimates the COVID-19 infection fatality rate at the US county level. Health Affairs, 39(7), 1253-1262.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (2022). Mayo Clinic. Web.

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