Angioplasty: What are the main factors of a successful angioplasty procedure?

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Blog 20: Exit Interview

1. "What factor is most significant in a successful angioplasty procedure?" and my answers are technique, medication, and lifestyle. My best answer would have to be technique because with angioplasty, judgments need to be made immediately on where things need to be opened and where things need other instruments such as stents or even lasers. This comes from years of training and it really matters how the doctor maneuvers through the body without causing more damage than there already is.
2. I went every Tuesday to Keck Hospital at USC and spent 4 hours every session with my mentor, Oralia Aragon NP, learning the principals of angioplasty. When i confronted her with my EQ, we derived answers from what she had been showing me and we concluded that all the answers were important in there on way but if in a perfect world everything went right, meaning the patient started living healthy and regularly took their medication than technique would be the most important.
3.I faced problems when it came down to research. After the 30-40 article, everything began to seem repetitive and useless. What helped resolved it was the ESA. Using the Bronco ID given to us by Mrs. Pittman, I was able to find hard facts and statistics to back up my claims and expand on what i already knew.
4.My primary source would have to be my numerous private intervews with Dr. Shavelle and Oralia Aragon. They helped me understand angioplasty more clearly and more in depth than just an average procedure. My secondary source would have to be Essential Angioplasty by E. von Schmilowski. It was a book literally on angioplasty, from the procedure and types techniques to the complications and medications.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Independent Component 2

Literal
a: I, Angel Arredondo, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
b: Schmilowski, E. Von, and Howard Swanton. Essential Angioplasty. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print.
c: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtzZW_LcuuBHdHhaaTQyY2ZYMGJweG5xcHA5MlhWTGc&usp=drive_web#gid=0
d: I followed my mentor around the entire hospital and evaluated patients and their illnesses regarding their hearts. In certain situations, she got me a "front row" view of a few procedures and they were actually very helpful in writing my Isearch paper. She also taught me about different types of medications we give our patients and how to manage their weight with exercise.
Interpretive
My component is significant to the integrity of my project because it taught me serious subjects pertaining to my answers. My mentor focused on my answers specifically and created a sort of curriculum. For medications, she taught me about the reactions and dosages and all these cool facts. Technique, obviously, was demonstrated in my sitting in's on the various angioplasty procedures. As for lifestyle, the consultations that we gave focused on how the patient should take care of themselves. Regarding the proof, I've turned a type letter to my house teacher with all my mentor's information. I'm not really allowed to take photographs.
APPLIED
Like I said before, my mentor created a curriculum surrounding me in topics related to my EQ. My answers are actually from her with some minor modifications. This component let me get a closer look into the aspects of a successful angioplasty down to the medication dosage. All in all, the component was a great experience and I look forward to continuing volunteering at the hospital.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Blog 18: Third Answer

1. What factor is most significant in a successful angioplasty procedure?
2. A significant factor is lifestyle.
3. Diet- depending on what you eat and where you eat, determines how your body digest and absorbs everything from it and some things are full of cholesterol. Exercise: exercise keeps the blood flowing at a stable rate and helps break down fatty material. Smoking: smoking is harmful to the entire body. As one breathes in the smoke blood that needs to be oxygenated gets contaminated with harmful tobacco substances. These substances eventually lead to atherosclerosis.
4. My main source for this information would have to be my mentor, Oralia Aragon, NP, as well as many of the pamphlets she's handed me regarding how one must treat their body after a angioplasty or stent procedure.
5. In conclusion, the way you live your life really affects the success of the angioplasty because if the occluded artery is fixed, it doesn't mean much it it gets re-clogged because you continue your bad habits.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Blog 17: Fourth Interview

1. What types of medication are administered before a procedure?
2. What are some of the reactions?
3. When the patient is in the operation room, what kinds of substances are given to them?
4. What are blood thinners?
5. What do blood thinners do in the case of an angioplasty procedure?
6. What types of medication does the patient need to be on after the procedure?
7. When in the recovery room, what is necessary of the patient?
8. What assures the success of the angioplasty after the procedure?
9. Do the patients continue prior medications?
10. Will the patients need follow-ups?
11. What types of medications are order for the patient when leaving the hospital?
12. Are dosages different depending on the patient?
13. Are dosages different depending on how many blockages were mover or stents place?
14. Are dosages different depending on one's size?
15. What types of blood thinners are given, generally?
16. How do you go around patients that are allergic to general blood thinners?
17. When the patient is released, what are their duties?
18. What kinds of diets are best suited for an interventional procedure (angioplasty w/ stenting)?
19. When the doctor schedules a check-up, what do they look for?
20. What are the dangers of blood thinners?

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Blog 16: Advisory Meeting #2

EQ: What factor most influences a successful angioplasty procedure?
Answer 2: A factor that influences the success of an angioplasty procedure would be the medication.
Details: When an angioplasty is done, it is essential that one takes their blood thinning medication to allow smooth blood flow in the newly opened artery. The second reason why you would need medication or blood thinners would be in the case of a sent. Blood thinners allow for blood to flow around the metal stent and prevent any build up around the "foreign" object. Lastly, medication of for previouse symptoms such as diabetes or high blood pressure should be continued as regulated to improve efficiency of blood flow.
Sources: mentorship has been a huge source for my second answer. My mentor goes into great detail the reason for medication as well as lifestyle. Another item of readership would be Esential Angioplasty by E. Von Schmilowski. It focuses primarily on angioplasty as with also stenting.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Independent Component 1

Literal
a. I, Angel Arredondo, affirm that I complete my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
b. My main two sources that really helped my in my independent component were my mentorship with Oralia and Essential Angioplasty by E. von Schmilowsk, a book that focuses on mainly angioplasty.
c. Independent Component Log on my blog
d. So for my independent component I walked around the hospital with my mentor and learned how to approach patients and address the issues that were going on with them and how to resolve them. I also looked at cases where people needed angiograms, x-ray of the coronary arteries, and looked for lesions. In addition to all the learning, my mentor had me observe an actual procedure be done.

Interpretive
 
This is me in scrubs! When ever I had to go see a procedure, it was enforced I wear scrubs.
This is a letter proving that I did attend mentorship and work all those hours and sum for several months.
I had her write me a letter mainly because I can't prove much using pictures due to liability issues.
(the "USC" after the "Keck Medical Center of" didn't appear)

Applied
I think made my topic and project more clear would be shadowing my mentor and doing this component allowed me to gain that knowledge to develop my first answer and actually two possible other answers for my second and third answer. What really helped during the component was the repetition. I learned why certain medicines needed to be taken and why stents needed to be put in not just one place and how you need to maintain your body to greatly advance your healing and stabilize your well being.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Extra Blog January

This month was fairly busy. I switched my days from Tuesdays to Thursdays and since I've done that, I see more patients. The reason I see more now as apposed to going on Tuesday is because both head interventionist surgeons are there so more procedures are done. I'm walking more so it gets very tiring. So far the most patients we've had to handle was 14. It might not sound like a lot but each person is unique so everything is different which attention is more needed especially  when you have 14. So that's most of everything. The other things I cant say too much about but all is good.