Managing Patients With Critical Cardiac Conditions

By Anna Matthews, RDH, MS and Sandra Stramoski, RDH, MSDH

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, claiming about 2,200 deaths daily or one death every 40 seconds.¹ Globally, CVDs accounted for more than 17 million deaths, representing over 30% of all causes worldwide in 2015.² CVD encompasses a broad group of diseases and conditions, including coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease and stroke, heart failure, high blood pressure, disorders of the heart rhythm, peripheral artery disease, venous thromboembolism, valvular disorders, and congenital heart defects. An estimated 92.1 million US adults have at least one type of CVD,¹ with coronary artery disease being the most common.³ CVD and stroke are the most costly diseases, accounting for 14% of total health expenditures in 2012 and projected to nearly triple to $918 billion by 2030, when it is estimated that 43.9% of the US population will have some form of CVD.¹ However, the mortality attributable to CVD, which was steadily increasing until the 1980s, has since declined.¹

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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