Acute Coronary Syndromes & Cardiac Surgery Flashcards
MI - Epidemiology
- More than 1 in 3 adults lives w/1 or more types of CVD
- Contributing risk factors for heart disease & MI include
> cigarette smoking, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes
> elevated adrenaline (catecholamines), obesity, inactivity, HTN
Pathophysiology
- Atherosclerosis is the gradual buildup of plaque inside the wall of the artery from CHRONIC INFLAMMATION
- Rupture of this plaque results in thrombus formation & obstructs coronary artery flow
- Ischemia & death of heart muscle are the eventual outcomes
- Heart muscle damaged by inadequate blood supply cannot maintain normal cardiac function, which results in decreased CO & systemic sx’s assoc w/MI
Recognize Cues/MI Risk Factors - Non-modifiable
- Age
- Gender
- Fhx
- Ethnic background
Modifiable
- Elevated serum cholesterol
- Cigarette smoking
- HTN
- Impaired glucose tolerance/DM
- Obesity
- Excessive alcohol
- Limited physical activity
- Adrenaline/catecholamine increases (stress/fright)
Coronary Artery Disease (coronary heart disease)
- Is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries
- These arteries supply O2-rich blood to the heart muscle
- When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis
- Hardened plaque narrows the coronary arteries & reduces the flow of O2-rich blood to the heart
- If plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form on its surface; large blood clot can mostly or completely block blood flow through a coronary artery
- Angina is a chest pain or discomfort; may feel like pressure or squeezing in the chest
- Over time, CHD can weaken the heart muscle & lead to HF & arrhythmias
Plaque & clot formation
- Lesion or inflammation in arteries
- Body sends in cholesterol to help heal inflammation
- Inflammation & clot formation block blood flow to the heart tissue & tissue begins to die
Continuum of CAD
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Is an insufficient oxygen supply to meet requirements of myocardium
Ischemia
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Is necrosis or cell death that occurs when severe ischemia is prolonged & decreased perfusion causes irreversible damage to tissues
Infarction
Angina
- Stable
- Unstable
- Variant (Prinzmetal’s)
- Microvascular
- Typically no changes in troponin or CK levels
- Responds to nitroglycerin (NTG) (3x every month)
- Typically no ST changes on 12-lead EKG
Angina
- Sometimes called angina pectoris
- Happens when there’s 60-70% blockage in coronary arteries - not typically associated w/damage to heart muscle but are warning signs
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- Most common type
- Happens when heart is working harder than usual; has a regular pattern
> “Pattern” being how often the angina occurs, how severe it is & what factors trigger it - You could learn the pattern & when pain will occur; usually goes away a few min after rest or angina rx (likely NTG which opens up the arteries & increases blood flow)
Stable angina
! Isn’t an MI but suggests that & MI is more likely to happen in the future
> Make radical lifestyle changes
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- Rare; caused by a spasm in the coronary arteries
- Occurs while @ rest; pain can be severe
- Usually happens between midnight & early morning; rx’s can help
Variant (Prinzmetal’s) angina
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- Type that doesn’t follow a stable pattern
- Can happen w/ or w/o physical exertion, & rest or rx may not relieve pain
! Very dangerous & needs treatment; an MI could happen
Unstable angina
! Can happen more often & be more severe than stable angina
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- Can be more severe & lasts longer than other types; rx may not relieve this
- Newer studies state women have this type
Microvascular angina
! Other conditions that cause CP besides CHD include PE, a lung infection, aortic dissection, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, & a panic attack
NTG can be taken in 5-min increments; a total of 3 doses can be given to relieve angina pain
> Usually responds to NTG but if taking 3 sublingual tablets one after another doesn’t help, an MI may be happening
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Is a myocardial muscle protein released into the bloodstream w/injury to myocardial muscle
Troponin
Troponin T & and I aren’t found in healthy pts, so any rise in values indicates cardiac necrosis or acute MI
Have a wide diagnostic timeframe; are useful for pts who present several hrs after CP onset
! Troponin is more sensitive than myoglobin & creatine kinase
Troponin T < ___ ng/mL
Troponin I < ___ ng/mL
0.10
0.03
- Cardiology sources state that the troponin is the only biomarker that’s recommended to be used for dx of acute MI @ this time b/c of its superior sensitivity & accuracy
- Pts w/elevated troponin lvls but negative creatinine-kinase-MB (CK-MB) values who were formerly dx’d w/unstable angina or minor myocardial injury are now reclassified as non-ST segment elevated MI (NSTEMI), even in absence of diagnostic ECG changes