Acute myocardial infarction  Glyceryl trinitrate

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted, most commonly due to rupture of a vulnerable plaque. The resulting ischemia or oxygen shortage causes damage and potential death of heart tissue. It is a medical emergency, and the leading cause of death for both men and women all over the world. Important risk factors are a previous history of vascular disease such as atherosclerotic coronary heart disease and/or angina, a previous heart attack or stroke, any previous episodes of abnormal heart rhythms or syncope, older age—especially men over 40 and women over 50, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, the abuse of certain illicit drugs, high triglyceride levels, high LDL ("Low-density lipoprotein") and low HDL ("High density lipoprotein"), diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and chronically high levels of stress in certain persons.

Angina pectoris : stable   Nifedipine , unstable  Glyceryl trinitrate

Angina pectoris, commonly known as angina, is severe chest pain due to ischemia (a lack of blood and hence oxygen supply) of the heart muscle, generally due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries (the heart's blood vessels). Coronary artery disease, the main cause of angina, is due to atherosclerosis of the cardiac arteries. It is not common to equate severity of angina with risk of fatal cardiac events. There is a weak relationship between severity of pain and degree of oxygen deprivation in the heart muscle (i.e. there can be severe pain with little or no risk of a heart attack, and a heart attack can occur without pain).

Angina pectoris stable   Nifedipine

This refers to the more common understanding of angina related to myocardial ischemia. Typical presentations of stable angina is that of chest discomfort and associated symptoms precipitated by some activity (running, walking, etc) with minimal or non-existent symptoms at rest. Symptoms typically abate several minutes following cessation of precipitating activities and resume when activity resumes. In this way, stable angina may be thought of as being similar to claudication symptoms.

Angina pectoris unstable  Glyceryl trinitrate

Unstable angina (UA) is defined as angina pectoris that changes or worsens. It has at least one of these three features:
1. it occurs at rest (or with minimal exertion), usually lasting >10 min;
2. it is severe and of new onset (i.e., within the prior 4–6 weeks); and/or
3. it occurs with a crescendo pattern (i.e., distinctly more severe, prolonged, or frequent than previously).
UA may occur unpredictably at rest which may be a serious indicator of an impending heart attack. What differentiates stable angina from unstable angina (other than symptoms) is the pathophysiology of the atherosclerosis. In stable angina, the developing atheroma is protected with a fibrous cap. This cap (atherosclerotic plaque) may rupture in unstable angina, allowing blood clots to precipitate and further decrease the lumen of the coronary vessel. This explains why an unstable angina appears to be independent of activity. With unstable angina, the lack of oxygen to the heart almost kills the heart tissue.

Congestive heart failure   Glyceryl trinitrate

Congestive heart failure (CHF), also called heart failure, is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood through the body. It is not to be confused with "cessation of heartbeat", which is known as asystole, or with cardiac arrest, which is the cessation of normal cardiac function with subsequent hemodynamic collapse leading to death. Congestive heart failure is often undiagnosed due to a lack of a universally agreed definition and difficulties in diagnosis, particularly when the condition is considered "mild". It is the leading cause of hospitalization in people older than 65.

Hypertension    Nifedipine

Hypertension, commonly referred to as "high blood pressure" or HTN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. While it is formally called arterial hypertension, the word "hypertension" without a qualifier usually refers to arterial hypertension. Hypertension can be classified as either essential (primary) or secondary. Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e. secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or certain tumors (especially of the adrenal gland). Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated

Pulmonary hypertension  Epoprostenol

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare lung disorder characterized by increased pressure in the pulmonary artery or lung vasculature,. The pulmonary artery carries oxygen-poor blood from the lower chamber on the right side of the heart (right ventricle) to the lungs where it picks up oxygen. Depending on the cause, pulmonary hypertension can be a severe disease with a markedly decreased exercise tolerance and right-sided heart failure. Pulmonary hypertension is present when the blood pressure in the circulation of the lungs is measured at greater than 25 mm of mercury (Hg) at rest or 30 mm Hg during exercise. Pulmonary hypertension can be either primary or secondary: Primary pulmonary hypertension has no known cause. It is rare, affecting one people per-million. The illness most often occurs in young adults, especially women. Secondary pulmonary hypertension is an increased pressure of the blood vessels of the lungs as a result of other medical conditions.
Regardless of whether pulmonary hypertension is primary or secondary, the disorder results in thickening of the pulmonary arteries and narrowing of these blood vessels. In response, the right side of the heart works harder to move the blood through these arteries and it becomes enlarged, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion. Eventually overworking the right side of the heart may lead to right-sided heart failure, resulting in death.

Tachyarrhythmia   Amiodarone 

Tachycardia is a form of cardiac arrhythmia which refers to a rapid beating of the heart. By convention the term refers to heart rates greater than 100 beats per minute in the adult patient. Tachycardia may be a perfectly normal physiological response to stress. However, depending on the mechanism of the tachycardia and the health status of the patient, tachycardia may be harmful, and require medical treatment. In extreme cases, tachycardia can be life threatening.
Tachycardia can be harmful in three ways. Firstly, if the heart is pumping too fast for an extended period of time it will change the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the hemoglobin in the blood; this is normal during exercise but when resting this is quite dangerous. Second, when the heart beats too rapidly, it may pump blood less efficiently. Thirdly, the faster the heart beats, the more oxygen and nutrients the heart requires. This may leave patients feeling out of breath or cause angina. This can be especially problematic for patients suffering from ischemic heart disease.