1 Myocardial Infarction Flashcards
Define an MI
Ischaemic necrosis of the myocardium as a result of acute occlusion of a coronary artery
What is included in the clinical definition of MI?
- Symptoms - characteristic of myocardial pain
- ECG changes - characteristic of myocardial infarct/ischaemia
- Cardiac enzymes - evidence for cardiac myocyte necrosis (without enzymes → Acute Coronary Syndrome)
What is unstable angina and how should it be treated?
Change in character, duration, frequency, severity of chest pain
Treat as acute coronary syndrome
Name some common causes of MI
Atheroma,
Hypercoagulability,
Aortic dissection - flap occlusion,
Coronary artery dissection/aneurysm
What are the major symptoms of MI?
Chest pain - ususally sudden onset, crushing, >20 mins, may radiate
Sweating
Pallor
Nausea
What are the signs of MI?
Excess sympathetic tone - Tachycardia, Hypertension
or Excess parasympathetic tone - Bradycardia and Hypotension
Impaired left ventricle function → hypotension, lung crackles, murmur
What are the stages of ECG changes in MI?
ST depression - not always there - ischaemia + partial occlusion
T wave peaking - ischaemia (or hyperkalaemia)
ST elevation - ischaemia + total artery occlusion
T wave inversion - ST segment slowly → baseline
Q wave development
What is indicative of a LBBB?
Wide QRS
Broad +/- notched R wave - prolonged upstroke in V5, V6 (and 1, AVL)
Left axis deviation may/may not be present
What are the major cardiac enzymes implicated in MI?
Troponin (T or I)
Released within 4-6 hours, raised up 2 weeks after Infarction (but also rises in PE, septicaemia, renal failure, cardiac trauma)
Other enzymes: MB creatinine kinase, Lactate dehydrogenase-1
What is the immediate treatment of MI?
AMONAC
Antiemetic, Morphine, O2, Nitrate, Aspirin, Clopidogrel
Cyclizine, Morphine/Diamorphine, GTN, Aspirin, Clopidogrel
What is the treatment for STEMIs?
Reperfusion therapy <12 hours
Immediate Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) - most effective <90 mins
or
Thrombolysis
What does Percutaneous Coronary Intervention involve?
Balloon Angioplasty +/- stenting, with drugs:
Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors (Abciximab, Eptifibatide) - Antiplatelet - reduce risk of immediate vascular obstruction
Unfractioned Heparin
What does thrombolysis involve?
Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator: Plasminogen → Plasmin → Break down fibrin
Telecteplase
Given with LMWH
What is the treatment and management for an NSTEMI?
LMWH, or unfractioned Heparin
Take troponin 12 hours after onset
GRACE system >3% CV event risk → Coronary angiography +/- PCI (within 96 hours)
<3% → non-invasive ischaemia testing
For confirmed MI, what drugs should be given?
MI5 (AABCS)
Aspirin - Antiplatelet
ACE inhibitor - Decrease BP and cardiac workload
Beta blocker - Bisoprolol - Slow HR and contractility
Clopidogrel - Antiplatelet
Statin - Lower cholesterol
Also warfarin/fondaparinux (anticoagulants) and Insulin if required
Where are atheromas distributed?
Patchily in elastic arteries and large/medium muscular arteries
What are the layers of the arterial wall structure?
Intima - Endothelium (simple squamous), basal lamina, subendothelial connective tissue
Media - thickest, smooth muscle, elastic and collagen fibres
Adventitia - thin outer layer to prevent overstretch - contains vasa vasorum, nervi vascularis
What is the structure of a plaque?
- Fibrous cap - made of smooth muscle, with collagen and elastin
- Shoulder regions - accumulation of foam cells and T lymphocytes
- Lipid core - oxidised LDL and cholesterol, cell debris and some foam cells
- Weak vessel wall under plaque due to degeneration of vessel media
What are the stages of plaque development?
- LDLs damage and enter the endothelium
- Monocytes attracted
- Foam cells die
- Cytokines encourage smooth muscle to form fibrous cap
- Continued growth and development of nectrotic core
- Deterioration of plaque
How do LDLs damage and enter the endothelium?
Monocytes release free radicals → oxidise LDLs
oxLDL → damages endothelium at points of high shear stress and bind to basement membrane proteoglycans
How are monocytes attracted in plaque development?
Damaged endothelium expresses cell surface adhesion molecules for monocytes
Macrophages migrate to subendothelium and take up oxLDL → Foam Cells
What happens when foam cells die?
They cannot process LDL, the debris realases further free radicals and attracts more monocytes/T cells
How is the fibrous cap formed?
Cytokines cause SMCs to migrate → intima
- Secrete collagen and elastin → forms cap
- Encourage angiogenesis into plaque
- Encourage further SMC migration into plaque/cap
How is the necrotic core formed?
Foam cells death → toxic free radicals and cytokines → induction of apoptosis
How does the plaque deteriorate?
Macrophage/Foam cells produce factors → SMC death and fibrous cap breakdown
Erosion: Cytokine-induced apoptosis and enzymes cutting basement membrane → endothelium erosion
How does thrombosis form?
Erosion/ rupture of the fibrous cap
How does rupture occur?
Unstable plaque development:
- Thin fibrous cap with few SMCs
- Increased inflammatory cell concentration (especially active macrophages instead of foam)
- Eroded epithelium
How does NO play a role in plaque formation?
Undersecretion