BIOLOGY

REASEARCH

Majid Dardas

Uses of Aspirin

Majid Dardas

Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is a salicylate drug,

and is generally used as an analgesic (something that
relieves pain without producing anesthesia or loss of
consciousness) for minor aches and pains, to reduce fever
(an antipyretic), and also as an anti-inflammatory drug.
Your doctor may direct you to take a low dose of aspirin to
prevent blood clots. This effect reduces the risk of stroke and
heart attack. If you have recently had surgery on clogged
arteries (such as bypass surgery, carotid endarterectomy,
coronary stent), your doctor may direct you to use aspirin
in low doses as a blood thinner to prevent blood clots.

When should you not use aspirin?

You should not use aspirin if you have a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia, a
recent history of stomach or intestinal bleeding, or if you are allergic to an NSAID
(non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Orudis,
Indocin, Lodine, Voltaren, Toradol, Mobic, Relafen, Feldene, and others.
Do not give this medication to a child or teenager with a fever, flu symptoms, or
chicken pox. Salicylates can cause Reyes syndrome, a serious and sometimes
fatal condition in children.

Therefore the uses of aspirin are:

1) As an analgesic (something that relieves
pain without producing anesthesia or loss of
consciousness)

3) As an antipyretic (to
reduce fever)
4) As a blood thinner (to
prevent blood clot)

2) As an anti-inflammatory drug (inflammation

is when the body becomes reddened,
swollen, hot and often painful.

5) To treat angina (chest

pain)

Angioplasty

Majid Dardas

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of

heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in the United
States in both men and women.
CAD happens when the arteries that supply blood
to heart muscle become hardened and narrowed.
This is due to the buildup of cholesterol and other
material, called plaque, on their inner walls. This
buildup is called atherosclerosis. As it grows, less
blood can flow through the arteries. As a result, the
heart muscle cant get the blood or oxygen it needs.
This can lead to chest pain (angina) or a heart attack.
Most heart attacks happen when a blood clot suddenly
cuts off the hearts blood supply, causing permanent
heart damage.
Over time, CAD can also weaken the heart muscle and contribute to heart
failure and arrhythmias. Heart failure means the heart cant pump blood well
to the rest of the body. Arrhythmias are changes in the normal beating rhythm
of the heart.
Angioplasty is a procedure to restore blood flow through the artery. You have
angioplasty in a hospital. The doctor threads a thin tube through a blood
vessel in the arm or groin up to the involved site in the artery. The tube has
a tiny balloon on the end. When the tube is in place, the doctor inflates the
balloon to push the plaque outward against the wall of the artery. This widens
the artery and restores blood flow.
Doctors may use angioplasty to:
Reduce chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart
Minimize damage to heart muscle from a heart attack
Many people go home the day after angioplasty, and are able to return to
work within a week of coming home.

By-Pass Surgery

Majid Dardas

Another way to treat coronary artery disease is by a by-pass surgery. During

a bypass surgery, a blood vessel is removed or redirected from one area
of the body and placed around the area or areas of narrowing in order to
bypass the blockages and restore blood flow to the heart muscle. This
vessel is called a graft.
These substitute blood vessels can come from your chest, legs, or arms.
Theyre safe to use because there are other pathways that take blood to and
from those tissues. The surgeon will decide which graft(s) to use depending
on the location of your blockage, the amount of blockage and the size of
your coronary arteries.
Before your surgery you will get general anesthesia. You will be asleep
(unconscious) and pain-free during surgery. Once you are unconscious, the
heart surgeon will make an 8 - 10-inch surgical cut in the middle of your
chest. Your breastbone will be separated
to create an opening. This allows your
surgeon to see your heart and aorta, the
main blood vessel leading from the heart to
the rest of your body.
Most people who have coronary bypass
surgery are connected to a heart-lung
bypass machine, or bypass pump.
Your heart is stopped while you are
connected to this machine.
This machine does the work of your
heart while your heart is stopped for
the surgery. The machine adds oxygen

By-Pass Surgery

Majid Dardas

To create the bypass graft:

1) The doctor will take a vein or artery
from another part of your body and uses
it to make a detour (or graft) around the
blocked area in your artery. Your doctor
may use a vein, called the saphenous
vein, from your leg.
3) A blood vessel in your chest, called
the internal mammary artery (IMA), can
also be used as the graft. One end of
this artery is already connected to your
aorta. The other end is attached to your
coronary artery.

2) To reach this vein, a surgical

cut will be made along the inside
of your leg, between your ankle
and groin. One end of the graft
will be sewn to your coronary
artery. The other end will be
sewn to an opening made in
your aorta.
4) Other arteries can also be used
for grafts in bypass surgery. The
most common one is the radial
artery in your wrist.

After the graft has been created, your breastbone will be closed with wires.
These wires stay inside you. The surgical cut will be closed with stitches.
This surgery can take 4 to 6 hours. After the surgery, you will be taken to the
intensive care unit.