3.2a CVS Pathology 1 Flashcards
This can help predict if there is cardiomegaly or atrophy
Weight of the heart
Normal weight of the heart for males and females
Female: 250-300 gm
Male: 300-350 gm
Normal thickness of the free wall do the heart for RV and LV
RV: 0.3-0.5 cm
LV: 1.3-1.5 cm
This is important in recognizing hypertrophy and dilatation
Thickness of the free wall
This can mean the ff:
- Increase in organ size
- Greater heart weight
- Greater ventricular thickness
Hypertrophy
This mean refers to an enlarged chamber size accompanied by thinning of the left ventricle
Dilatation
This refers to an increase in cardiac weight or size (owing to hypertrophy or dilatation)
Cardiomegaly
Enumerate the layers of the heart (4)
- Endocardium
- Myocardium
- Pericardium
- Epicardium
Which layer of the heart is being described?
- Lines the chambers and valves
- Cardiac conduction system can be found here
Epicardium
It is a collection of specialized striate muscle cells
Cardiac myocytes
It is the functional intracellular contractile unit of cardiac muscle
Sarcomere
What are the regulatory proteins of the sarcomere? (2)
- Troponin
2. Tropomyosin
What is the importance of regulatory proteins (Troponin, tropomyosin)?
Important diagnostically: they are released to indicate myocardial injury
- It is the sac that encloses the heart
2. The outermost layer of the heart
Pericardium
It is the visceral pericardium
Epicardium
What area the specialized excitatory and conducting myocytes? (4)
- SA node
- AV node
- Bundle of His
- Right and left bundle branches
Cardiac myocytes relies almost entirely on this process for its energy needs
Ox phos
Differentiat epicardial coronary arteries from intramural arteries
Epicardial: run along external surface of the heart
Intramural: penetrate myocardium
What are the major epicardial coronary arteries? (3)
- Left anterior descending a. (LAD)
- Left circumflex a. (LCX)
- Right coronary artery
What does the LAD supply? (3)
- Anterior wall
- Anterior 2/3 of septum
- Entire apex
Circumferentially
What does LCX supply? (1)
Left posterolateral aspect of the heart
What does the right coronary artery supply? (2)
- Posterior 1/3 of septum
2. Inferior and posterior wall of the heart
These maintain unidirectional flow of blood through the heart
Cardiac valves
The function of _____ depends on the mobility, pliability, structural integrity of the leaflets (tricuspid, mitral) or cusps (aortic, pulmonic)
Heart valves
What are semilunar valves? (2)
- Aortic
2. Pulmonary
What are the atrioventricular valves? (2)
- Mitral
2. Tricuspid
These valves depend on the integrity and coordination of movement of the cuspal attachment
Semilunar valves (aortic, pulmonic)
These valves depend on:
- Leaflets and their attachments
- Tendinous connections to papillary muscle of ventricular wall
Atrioventricular valves (mitral, tricuspid)
What can cause regurgitation in the semilunar valves? (1)
Dilatation of aortic root
What can causes regurgitation in atrioventricular valves? (3)
- Left ventricular dilatation
- Ruptured tendon
- Papillary muscle dysfunction
What are the (3) pathological changes of valves?
- Damage to collagen (weakens leaflets; ie. mitral valve prolapse)
- Nodular calcification (ie. calcific aortic stenosis)
- Fibrotic thickening (ie. RHD)
Which cardiac pathology is being described:
1. Results from impaired cardiac function that renders heart muscle unable to maintain an output sufficient for the metabolic requirements of tissues and organs
- It is the final common pathway of many heart diseases
- Most often develop due to cumulative effects of chronic work overload or ischemic heart disease
CHF
Simply, it is defined as a state that develops when the heart fails to maintain adequate cardiac output to meet the demand of the body
CHF
Normal CO = ?
4200 mL/min
4-8 L/min
It is the volume of blood ejected
Cardiac output
Heart failure is characterized by? (3)
- Forward failure: diminished CO
- Backward failure: damming of blood in venous system
- Both
Compensatory mechanisms in CHF (3)
- Frank-Starling mechanism
- Myocardial hypertrophy
- Activation of neuronumoral systems
In this compensatory mechanism:
Greater volume of blood entering the heart during diastole (end diastolic volume) = greater volume of blood ejected during systole (stroke volume)
Frank-Starling mechanism
Compensatory mechanism:
- With or without cardiac chamber dilatation
- LVH –> increased contractility
- Left ventricular “remodeling” –> increased stroke volume
Myocardial hypertrophy
What happens in left ventricular remodeling? (3)
- Deposition of new sarcomeres
- Increased length and width of muscle fibers
- Increased weight of heart
It is an important indication of heart failure
Left ventricular remodeling
It is a compensatory response of the myocardium to increased mechanical work.
Myocardial hypertrophy
-the pattern of hypertrophy reflects the nature of the stimulus:
- In aortic or mitral valve regurgitation = volume overload
- In systemic HPN or aortic stenosis = pressure overload
Characterized by:
- Dilation with increased ventricular diameter
- Muscle mass and wall thickness (not necessarily be increased; may be normal or less than normal) are increased in proportion to diameter of chamber
- Deposition of sarcomeres (cell length and width area increased)
Volume overload
Characterized by:
- Concentric hypertrophy of LV
- Reduced cavity diameter
- Predominant deposition of sarcomeres is parallel to long axes of cells (cross-sectional area of myocytes is expanded but cell length is not)
Pressure overload
Increased mass + normal wall thickness
Volume overload
Increased mass + thickened left ventricular wall
Pressure overload
What are the neuro hormonal systems activated in CHF (3)
- NE/Epi
- RAAS activation
- Atrial natriuretic peptide release
Effects of NE/Epi (compensatory mechanism of CHF) (3)
Increased:
- HR
- Contraction
- Vascular resistance
Effects of RAAS activation (compensatory mechanism of CHF)
In chronological order: increased
- Tubular reabsorption of sodium and water
- Blood volume
- Venous return
- Preload
- Force of contraction
–> augments CO
Effects of atrial natriuretic peptide release (compensatory mechanism of CHF)
Increased tubular reabsorption of sodium and water
Basis for myocardial contractile failure (4)
- Death of myocytes, loss of vital elements
- Overworked and fatigued cardiac muscles
- Altered gene expression (due to prolonged hemodynamics overload)
- Re-expression of protein synthesis analogous to that in fetal cardiac development
What are huge early mediators of hypertrophy? (4)
- c-fos
- c-myc
- c-jun
- EGR1
Describe pathologic hypertrophy (4)
- Increased protein synthesis
- Induction of fetal gene program
- Synthesis of abnormal contractile protein isoforms that reduce excitation-coupling
- Fibrosis, reduced vasculature
Cardiac dysfunction is characterized by (3)
- Heart failure
- Arrhythmias
- Neurohumoral stimulation
What are the FUNCTIONAL modifications that follow neurohumoral stimulation in heart failure (4)
- Increased inotropy
- Increased HR
- Vasoconstriction
- Salt and water retention
What are the STRUCTURAL modifications that follow neurohumoral stimulation in heart failure (3)
- Hypertrophy
- Increased nonmuscular tissue
- Increased expression of adult cardiac genes
Mechanisms of Cardiac Dysfunction (5)
- Pump failure
- Obstruction to flow
- Regurgitant flow
- Disorders of cardiac conduction
- Shunt anomalies (Disruption of normal circulatory continuity)
Pump failure is exemplified by?
Acute MI
Obstruction to flow is exemplified by?
Aortic valve stenosis
Regurgitant flow is exemplified by?
Aortic regurgitation
Disorders of cardiac conduction is exemplified by?
Arrhythmias
Shunt anomalies are exemplified by? (2)
Infarct
Ischemia
In this mechanism of a cardiac dysfunction:
(+) necrosis/death of heart muscle –> cannot pump blood/failure to contract –> affect stroke volume
Pump blood
In this mechanism of a cardiac dysfunction:
- Aortic valve is calcified and stenosic, (+) LV Outflow
- Size and aperture of aortic valve is significantly reduced –> reduced blood flow
Obstruction to flow
In this mechanism of a cardiac dysfunction:
- There is increased back flow of blood into LV chamber –> greater volume of blood retaine in LV chamber
- Problem is volume overload
- It is seen in valvular dilatation or insufficiency
Regurgitant flow
In this mechanism of a cardiac dysfunction:
1. (+) opening between ventricular chambers –> free communication between chambers –> disruption of normal circulatory function –> CHF
Disruption of normal circulatory continuity/Shunt Anomalies
Etiology of CHF (8)
- Myocardial dysfunction
- Ventricular overload
- Restrictive disease
- Electrical disorders
- Iatrogenic
- Conduction system failure
- Valvular failure
- Cardiac malformations
What is the most common final pathway of many cardiac diseases?
CHF
What is the mechanism behind myocardial dysfunction?
Direct impairment of myocardial contractility
What is the mechanism behind ventricular overload?
Excessive pressure or volume, or high output states
What is the mechanism behind restrictive disease?
Reduced myocardial expansion
What is the mechanism behind electrical disorders?
Disrupted electrical function
What is the mechanism behind conduction system failure?
Electrical conduction dysfunction