Disturbances of the Heart: Discussion of the Treatment of the Heart in Its Various Disorders, With a Chapter on Blood PressureOsborne, Oliver T. (Oliver Thomas)
Science
Disturbances of the Heart: Discussion of the Treatment of the Heart in Its Various Disorders, With a Chapter on Blood Pressure
Osborne, Oliver T. (Oliver Thomas)
Blood pressure; Heart -- Diseases
While a number of causes of true cardiac pain may be eliminated by
improvement in any loss of compensation, by improvement of the heart
tone, by more or less recovery from myocardial or endocardial
inflammation, and by the withdrawal of nicotin, which may cause
cardiac pains, still, true angina pectoris once occurring is likely
to be caused by a progressive, incurable condition, and the attacks
will become more frequent until the final one. It is possible that a
true angina may be due to a coronary artery disease or obstruction,
and that a collateral circulation may become established and repair
the deficiency. While this probably can take place, it must be rare.
Occasionally when the intense pain has ceased, the patient may be
nauseated and actually vomit, or he may soon pass a large amount of
urine of low specific gravity, or have a copious movement of the
bowels.
The first attack, and subsequent ones more and more readily, are
precipitated by any exertion which increases the work of the heart,
as walking up hill, walking against the wind, going upstairs,
physical strains, as suddenly getting out of bed, leaning over to
put on the shoes, straining at stool, or even mental excitement.
Exertion directly after eating a large meal is especially liable to
precipitate an attack. Food which does not readily digest, or food
which causes gastric flatulence may precipitate attacks. Any
indiscretion in the use of coffee, tea, alcohol or tobacco may be
the cause of the attack.
For treatment of the immediate pain, if the physician arrives soon
enough, anything may be given which quickly relieves local or
general arterial spasm and spasm of the muscles. The moment that the
heart and its arterioles relax, the attack is often over. The most
quickly acting drug for this purpose is amyl nitrite, inhaled. If
amyl nitrite is not at hand, or has been found previously to cause
considerable disturbance of the head or a feeling of prolonged
faintness, nitroglycerin is the next most rapidly acting drug. It
may be given hypodermically, or a tablet may be dissolved on the
tongue. The amyl nitrite should be in the emergency case of the
physician in the form of ampules, or may be carried by the patient
after he has had one or more attacks. The ampules now come made of
very thin glass with an absorbent and silk covering ready for
crushing with the fingers, and are thus immediately ready for
inhalation. One of these is generally all that it is necessary to
use at any one time. Nitroglycerin, if given hypodermically, should
be in dose of 1/100 grain. If given by mouth the dose should be the
same, repeated in ten minutes if the pain has not stopped.
Almost coincidently with the administration of nitroglycerin or the
amyl nitrite, a hypodermic injection of 1/8 or 1/6 grain of morphin
sulphate should be given without atropin, as full relaxation is
desired without any stimulation of atropin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account