Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant At Stable Ischemic Heart Disease (SIHD) Talk

Atlanta, Georgia – WEBWIRE – Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Atlanta legal nurse consultant Liz Buddenhagen, RN, attended a lecture on Stable Ischemic Heart Disease (SIHD) given by Janice McAlister, DNP, SPRN, CLS of Atlanta in Athens, Georgia on June 6, 2017. This continuing education event was part of the Athens Area Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurse (AACN) ongoing programs.

About SIDH:

Chronic stable angina affects approximately 8.7 million Americans and only 18% of coronary attacks are preceded by long-standing angina. The causes are coronary artery disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (enlarged and weakened heart) and valvular heart disease.
This condition significantly limits functional capacity and impairs quality of life as well and entails a high cost of care. There is a growing prevalence of recurring ischemia due to residual coronary artery disease after stenting or coronary artery surgery.

What to Do:

Surprisingly, Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (optimal and maximal medical treatment) for patients with SIHD has been found to be just as effective as coronary artery stenting and coronary artery replacement surgery. This includes risk factor modification, additional medical therapy to prevent myocardial infarction (heart attack) and death, medical therapy for relief of symptoms and alternative therapies for relief of symptoms in patients with refractory angina.

It is estimated that nearly half of the decline in cardiovascular mortality observed in the past 50 years is due to interventions directed at modifying risk factors. These include smoking, hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), diabetes glycemic (sugar) control, obesity with sedentary lifestyle, alcohol consumption, psychological factors like stress and type A behavior, medications and exposure to air pollution.

Lifestyle modifications for patient with SIHD are weight control, increased physical activity, alcohol moderation, sodium reduction and emphasis on increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetable. Statin therapy is part of modification for high cholesterol.

Women and SIDH:

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Angina is a more common presentation of coronary heart disease in women than in men. In women, the heart disease presents at older age and is less likely to be diagnosed and treated.

Atlanta Legal Nurse Consultant:

Liz Buddenhagen, RN, has been assisting Atlanta attorneys with their medical legal cases since 2005. Common types of cases include medical malpractice, personal injury, premise liability, legal malpractice with medical issues and civil cases with medical issues. Services include medical expert witness location, review and analysis of medical records and summaries of medical records. For more information contact Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com , view www.Legal-Nurse-Consultant-LNC.com or call 770-725-2997 today.