According to "Rosen's Emergency Medicine," physicians monitor heart rate and blood pressure to help determine the cardiovascular stability of patients. High blood pressure can be indicative of a variety of morbidities, including coronary artery disease and heart attack. Increased heart rate is common in heart arrhythmias and heart attacks.
Coronary Artery Disease
"Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine" notes that chronic high blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Hypertensive states increase pressure forces on the blood vessels of the cardiovascular system. The shearing stresses from hypertension create an optimal environment for lipids to form plaques on the walls of the arteries of the heart. Plaques build up in the coronary arteries, resulting in angina and heart attack.
Ventricular Tachycardia
"Cecil Medicine" explains that ventricular tachycardia is a condition where the electrical conduction system of the lower chambers of the heart fires in an abnormally rapid rate. Ventricular tachycardias are heart rates above 100 beats per minute that can lead to a serious life-threatening condition called ventricular fibrillation. Symptoms include dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath and chest pain. Treatment includes medications such as amiodarone, lidocaine and procainamide. In more serious situations, such as with pulseless ventricular tachycardia, epinephrine is given after defibrillation.
Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a rapid heart rate condition where the electrical conduction system of the heart, called the sinoatrial node, fires in abnormally rapid rates, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." Patients experience a feeling of palpitations or fluttering heart sensation. Typical treatment involves a calcium channel blocker, such as verapamil or diltiazem.
References
- "Rosen's Emergency Medicine, 7th Edition"; John Marx, M.D., et al.; 2009
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 17th Edition"; Anthony Fauci, M.D., et al., eds.; 2008
- "Cecil Medicine, 23rd Edition"; Lee Goldman, M.D., and Dennis Ausiello, M.D.; 2008
- "Integrative Medicine, 2nd Edition"; David Rakel, M.D.; 2007
- "Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, 8th Edition"; Peter Libby, M.D., et al.; 2007
