1.1 Introduction
Echocardiography is more sensitive for the detection of asymptomatic organ damage that can be used as a determinant of cardiovascular risk. It is one of most commonly used imaging modality and has given insights into pathophysiology and clinical implications in patients with hypertension. It can detect anatomical and functional changes easily in a real-time, quick, and reproducible manner. The use of echocardiography as an initial evaluation of suspected hypertensive heart disease is appropriate. Also, echocardiography is appropriate in patients with prior test result that is concerning for heart disease or structural abnormality (Clinicalhypertension, 2021).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Echocardiography has become an important tool in medical imaging. It is used in the confirmation of heart diseases especially hypertension, in Nigeria major cities using conventional echocardiography done with transoephageal echocardiography. Echocardiography has come a long way over the past 40-plus years. It is probably the second most popular cardiac test, second only to the resting ECG. There is a variety of ultrasonic examinations now at the disposal of the clinician. The backbone of the current examination is real-time, two-dimensional echocardiography. The M-mode technique is now relegated to a supplemental examination. Although the older technique is still being used to make routine measurements, these measurements are better obtained directly from two-dimensional studies. The real advantage of M-mode echocardiography is its enhanced temporal resolution. There are numerous interesting stories behind the evolution of echocardiography. Even the word “echocardiography” has a unique history.
The initial concern was that the natural abbreviation for echocardiography would be ECG. Obviously, this abbreviation was already being used for electrocardiography. We could not use the abbreviation “echo” because it did not differentiate between echocardiography and echoencephalography. The reason echocardiography was finally accepted as the name for this procedure was that echoencephalography disappeared. Now, the abbreviation (echo) is only used for echocardiography. None of the other diagnostic ultrasonic procedures uses the word or term echo (Ahajournals, 2021).
High blood pressure occurs when one’s blood move through the arteries at a higher speed than normal. It is also known that for now there is no cure for high blood pressure. Papadakis A, Macphere J. (2008). Over-weight here will be described or rather defined based on a calculation called “Body mass index” (BMI). According to this formular, one is regarded as over-weight if his BMI is greater than 25. Mancia G. (2007).
The seriousness of this adult illness (high blood pressure) is not just that it can lead to more serious illness or complications, raises the risk of stroke, kidney failure, heart disease and heart attack. The matter is made worse with the existence of too much weight or fat in the body as this tends to make the condition severe. It is the duty of stakeholders in health sectors to keep the adult folk aware of the implication of over-weight by providing them with accurate, timely and up to date information regarding this health condition. It is also the duty of health personnel to warn and educate adults who are more prone to high blood pressure, about the dangers of over-weight in the management of high blood pressure. This awareness is expected to affect the feeding habit of these people, since it has been observed that poor feeding (that is, poor combination of the classes of food, not necessarily the quantity) is one of the causes of over-weight (Sacks F.M, 2008). Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Pattern of Findings in the Echocardiogram of Hypertensive Patient.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed the problems of the Pattern of Findings in the Echocardiogram of Hypertensive Patient research work which entails that:
- A lot of people have died as a result of weight on blood pressure on hypertensive patients
- High blood pressure can cause hardening and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other complications.
- Heart failure: To pump blood against the higher pressure in your vessels, the heart has to work harder. This causes the walls of the heart's pumping chamber to thicken (left ventricular hypertrophy). Eventually, the thickened muscle may have a hard time pumping enough blood to meet your body's needs, which can lead to heart failure.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to describe the pattern of finding in echocardiogram of hypertensive patients in Conquest Medical Imaging Centre, Enugu. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the effect of blood pressure on hypertensive patient’s weight,
- To determine the extent and direction of the relationship between the variables; weight and blood pressure.
- To examine the echocardiogram of hypertensive patient in Conquest Medical Imaging Centre, Enugu.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What are the effects of blood pressure on hypertensive patient’s weight?
- What is the extent and direction of the relationship between the variables; weight and blood pressure?
- What do you understand by echocardiogram of hypertensive patient in Conquest Medical Imaging Centre, Enugu?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
- H0: There is no significant factor affecting the echocardiogram of hypertensive patient in Conquest Medical Imaging Centre, Enugu.
- H1: There is a significant factor affecting the echocardiogram of hypertensive patient in Conquest Medical Imaging Centre, Enugu.
1.7 Significance of Study
This project work will help individuals to predict their blood pressure given their weight and will equally help them to know what to do when their weight is becoming too much. This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Pattern of Findings in the Echocardiogram of Hypertensive Patient in Conquest Medical Imaging Centre, Enugu.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
