370: Cardiac Pathophysiology Flashcards
What is the Frank-Starling Mechanism?
ncreased stretch of heart -> increased force of contraction.
Increased blood volume -> stretch of myocardium
What results in increased preload?
Increased stroke volume -> increased preload (EDV) -> increased stretch -> increased force of contraction
How do you calculate mean arterial pressure (MAP)?
(SBP + 2 x DBP)/3
Where are chemoreceptors found?
- Medulla oblongata
- Carotid body
- Aortic body
Where are baroreceptors found?
- Carotid sinus
2. Aorta
What is Laplace’s Law?
Wall tension = intraventricular pressure x internal radius
What happens to arterial pressure as radius increases?
As radius increases, so does tension but Pressure remains equal
What happens during cardiomyopathy?
Heart becomes significantly distended. Increased radius increases tension. Heart requires more energy to pump same amount of blood.
What happens during myocardial hypertrophy?
Thickening and stiffening of the heart muscle. Decreased elasticity, decreases compliance and contractility.
What are 4 factors affecting cardiac performance?
- Preload
- Afterload
- Heart rate
- Myocardial contractility
What 2 primary factors that effect preload?
- Amount of venous return to ventricle
- Blood left in the ventricle after systole or end-systolic volume (EDV)
Increased preload = increased cardiac output
What decreases preload?
Decrease in Venous return or filling
- Constrictive pericarditis
- Cardiac tamponade
- Hemorrhage
- 3rd spacing
- Vasodilators
- Diuretics
What is afterload?
Resistance to ejection during systole.
Force to eject blood from heart.
What are 2 main factors that effect afterload?
- Ventricular wall tension
- Peripheral vascular resistance
Increased afterload -> decreased cardiac output (CO)
What increases afterload?
Increased aortic pressure or increases SVR
- Aortic stenosis
- Severe HTN
- Vasoconstriction
- Vasopressors
What decreases afterload?
- Decreased SVR
- Vasodilation
- Sepsis
- Hyperthermia
- Decreases BP
- Nitrates
- Arterial dilators
What 3 factors effect contractility of the heart?
- Preload
- Innervation to ventricles
- Oxygen supply
What compromises intrinsic contractility of the heart?
1. Poor myocardial perfusion (Secondary to atherosclerosis) 2. Primary disease of myocardium 3. Degenerative changes with aging 4. Necrosis from MI 5. Negative ionotropic drugs
What drugs increase contractility of the heart?
Ionotropes (dobutamine, dopamine, digoxin)
What drugs decrease contractility of the heart?
- Beta blockers
- Calcium channel blockers
- Antiarrhythmatics
What are the effects of aldosterone?
Hormone that promotes sodium retention, which can increase H2O reabsorption, increased blood volume, and increased CO (HTN)
How is blood pressure calculated?
BP = CO x SVR
How is cardiac output calculated?
CO = stroke volume x HR
What are the 2 primary causes of sustained hypertension?
- Increased peripheral resistance
2. Increased blood volume
What are natriuretic peptides?
- Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)
- Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)
- C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP)
- Urodilatin
Modulate renal sodium excretion
What do diuretics do?
Increase renal excretion of Na+, H2O, Cl-, K+ by blocking reabsorption in distal tubule.
This decreases blood volume
What do Beta-Blockers do?
Blocks cardiac beta1-receptors to decrease HR and contractility.
This reduces cardiac output.
What do ACE inhibitors do?
Inhibit the enzyme that converts Angiotension 1 to Angiotension 2.
Blocks vasoconstriction and aldosterone mediated volume expansion.
What do calcium-channel blockers do?
Calcium channels regulate contraction of vascular smooth muscles. If blocked, contraction will be prevented and results in vasodilation.
What are complications of hypertension?
- Stroke, dementia
- Retinopathy-hemorrhage, blindness
- CAD, angina, MI, heart failure
- Aortic aneurysms or dissection
- Kidney injury, end stage renal disease
What are the roles of sympathetic nervous system in the circulatory system?
- Increase HR and contractility
- Vasoconstriction
- Releases renin from the kidneys
- Increased arterial pressure due to increased CO and SVR
- Increased insulin resistance
What are the primary risk factors of heart failure?
- CAD (Coronary artery disease)
2. Advanced age
What are contributing factors to heart failure?
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Tobacco use
- Obesity
- High cholesterol
What are the 2 types of heart failure?
- Acute
2. Chronic
What are the 4 compensatory mechanisms in heart failure?
- Frank-Starling Mechanism
- Sympathetic NS
- Neurohormonal responses
- Myocardial remodeling & hypertrophy
What are the effects of SNS on heart failure?
- Increase HR
- Increased contractility
- Vasoconstriction
Increase the workload of failing myocardium
What are the 4 neurohormonal responses that effect heart failure?
- RAAS system
- ADH
- Endothelin
- Proinflammatory cytokines
How does the RAAS system effect heart failure?
Angiotensin 2 causes adrenal cortex to release aldosterone. Causes sodium and water retention. Increased peripheral vasoconstriction, increases BP.
How does ADH effect heart failure?
Antidiuretic hormone causes increased H2O reabsorption in renal tubules, leading to H2O retention and increased blood volume.
How does endothelin effect heart failure?
Endothelin is stimulated by ADH, catecholines, and angiotensin 2. Causes
- Vasoconstriction
- Increase contractility
- Hypertrophy
How does proinflammatory cytokines effect heart failure?
Released in response to cardiac injury. Depressed cardiac function by causing cardiac hypertrophy, contractile dysfunction, and death of myocytes. Leads to cardiac wasting, muscle myopathy, and fatigue.
What are the 2 compensatory consequences of myocardial remodeling?
- Dilation
2. Hypertrophy
What happens during compensatory dilation?
- Elevated pressure of left ventricle
- Chambers of heart enlarge
- Eventually decreases CO
What happens during compensatory hypertrophy of the heart?
Increase muscle mass and cardiac wall thickness in response to chronic dilation. Results in:
- Poor contractility
- Higher O2 needs
- Poor coronary artery circulation
- Risk for ventricular dysrhythmias
What is another name for left-sided heart failure?
Congestive heart failure (CHF)
What causes left-sided heart failure?
Left ventricular dysfunction (MI HTN, CAD, cardiomyopathy) causes backup of blood into left atrium and pulmonary veins (pulmonary congestion, edema)
What are the subtypes of left-sided heart failure?
- Systolic: impaired contractile or pump function
2. Diastolic: impaired ventricular function
What is the primary causes of right-sided heart failure?
- Left-sided heart failure.
- Pulmonary diseases resulting in high pulmonary resistance
- Right ventricular infarction (ineffective R ventricular contractility)
What happens during right-sided heart failure?
Causes backflow of blood to the R atrium and venous circulation. Causes jugular distensión and hepatomegaly.
Which type of heart failure is pulmonary?
Right-sided (Lung Disease)
What are the symptoms of left-sided heart failure?
- Pulmonary Congestion (cough, crackles, wheezes, blood-tinged sputum, Dyspnea, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturna dyspnea)
- Fatigue, activity intolerance, confusion, restlessness (reduces O2)
- Peripheral constriction (Cyanosis, cool, pale skin)
- Tachycardia (sympathetic stimulation)
- S3 (rapid ventricular filling)
- S4 (atrial contraction)
Lung disease and right-sided heart failure
- Increased force of RV contraction
- Increased RV oxygen demand
- RV hypoxia
- Decrease force of RV contraction
- Increase RV end-diastolic pressure
- Increased RV preload
- Increased RA preload
- Peripheral edema
What are the symptoms of right-sided heart failure?
- Venous congestion (jugular distension, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly)
- Congestion of liver and intestines (anorexia, fullness, nausea, RUQ pain)
- Fluid retention (ascites, dependent edema, weight gain)
What are the symptoms of left-sided heart failure?
(FORCED)
Fatigue Orthopnea Rales/restlessness Cyanosis/confusion Extreme weakness Dyspnea
What are the symptoms of right-sided heart failure?
(BACONED)
Bloating Anorexia Cyanosis/cool legs Oliguria Nausea Edema Distended neck veins
What are complications of heart failure?
- Pleural effusion (from increased pressure of pleural capillaries)
- Atrial fibrillation (promotes thrombus/embolus formation, increased risk of stroke)
- Fatal dysrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia)
Due to cardiac enlargement altering electrical pathways - Hepatomegaly (congested with venous blood)
- Renal insufficiency/failure (due to decreased CO and perfusion to kidneys)
What are drug therapies for heart failure?
- Diuretics to reduce preload (thiazides/loop/potassium-sparing)
- Enhance contractility (digitalis, dopamine, dobutamine)
- Vasodilators to reduce preload (hydralazine, isosorbide dinitrate)
- Beta-blocking agents to reduce myocardial O2 demands
- ACE-inhibitors to suppress agiotensin2 (captopril)
Chronic heart failure is associated with activation of the:
Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) system
Heart rate is reduced by:
Stimulation of parasympathetic nervous system
A patient is diagnosed with pulmonary disease and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance. Which form of heart failure may result from pulmonary disease and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance?
Right-sided heart failure
In systolic heart failure, what effect does the RAAS have on stroke volume?
Increases preload and increases afterload (vasoconstriction)
Mechanism of coronary artery disease (CAD)?
- Decreased perfusion to myocardium due to occlusion (cholesterol, plaques, thrombi)
- Inadequate blood supply to meet myocardial O2 demand
- myocardial ischemia
- Myocardial death
Pathophysiology of atherosclerosis
- Blood lipids irritate or damage intima of arterial vessels
- Fatty substances enter vessels after damaging protective barrier, accumulate and for fatty streak formation
- Smooth muscle cells move to intima to engulf fatty substance
- Fibrous tissue formation and calcification
- Atheroma grows, causing vessel wall to become thick, fibrotic, and calcified
- Lumen narrows, impedes blood flow with risk for thrombosis
The hardening and narrowing of process of an artery
Atherosclerosis
What is the mechanism of atherosclerosis occlusion?
- Plaques form in lining of artery
- Plaque grows, intima of artery damaged
- Plaque ruptures
- Blood clot forms, limiting blood flow
Why might CAD remain asymptomatic until it is far advanced?
Collateral circulation