Information on Rheumatic Heart Disease among People in Louisville

It is important to keep heart disease at bay in order to keep cardiac emergencies at bay. The two big risk factors include high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Managing the risk factors can significantly lower the risks. You can easily manage the risk factors by adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and regular exercise. Rheumatic heart disease describes a group of short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) heart disorders that can occur as a result of rheumatic fever. One common result of rheumatic fever is heart valve damage. This damage to the valves may lead to a valve disorder. Before discussing further, read to know more about the life-saving CPR procedures.

The procedures comprise chest compressions and rescue breaths. Proper application can restore the life of a victim involved in a cardiac emergency. Select an accredited training center for acquiring training such as the AHA certified CPR Louisville. Both theoretical and practical training are imparted to the students. Read to know more about an ACLS class Louisville which has specifically been designed for advanced healthcare providers.

Advanced Cardiac Life Support Classes- An Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) class is designed for those who work in emergency response, intensive care units, the emergency department, anesthesia units, telemetry departments, cardiac catheterization labs, outpatient surgery centers, advanced dentistry, respiratory therapy departments, some pharmacy departments, and many more. Most employers of these departments require employees to be ACLS certified.

The course fee is $297. There are courses for the general public as well as basic CPR courses for first-time healthcare providers.

Rheumatic Fever- It is an inflammatory disease that may affect many connective tissues of the body, especially those of the heart, joints, brain or skin and usually starts out as a strep throat (streptococcal) infection. It usually occurs in children between the ages of 5 and 15 years. About 60% of people with rheumatic fever develop some degree of subsequent heart disease. The inflammation caused by acute rheumatic fever can damage every part of the organ including the outer sac (the pericardium), the inner lining (the endocardium) and the valves. Remember, the most common form of rheumatic heart disease affects the cardiac valves, particularly the mitral valve.

Symptoms- chest pain, excessive fatigue, palpitations (when the ticker flutters or misses beats), a thumping sensation in the chest, shortness of breath, and swollen ankles, wrists or stomach.

Treatment- One can prevent recurrence of rheumatic fever and avoid the development of infective bacterial endocarditis (an infection of the cardiac valves) through daily antibiotics until the age of 25-30, provided heart damage is identified in childhood or young adulthood.

Hope, this information proves to be useful for you.

At CPR Louisville, you can either register for a program online or call on 502-804-6132 to register. AHA Courses we offer include:

1.      Basic Life Support (BLS)

2.      Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

3.      Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

4.      HeartSaver CPR

HeartSaver First Aid