Anatomy - Atrial Fibrillation Flashcards
What are the locations of the spontaneously firing cells in the heart?
What are the spontaneous discharge rates in the heart?
SA node = 70-80 action potentials/min
AV node = 40-60 action potentials/min
Purkinje = 20-40 action potentials/min
Fastest drive heart, hence SA node
What does the action potential graph of a pacemaker cell look like?
What is the route of excitation spread through conducting tissue?
- SA node (pacemaker)
- Rapidly through the atria (~ 1m/sec)
- AV node (slow conducting ~ 0.05m/sec - delay)
- Rapidly through bundle of His & down the bundle branches & Purkinje fibres (~ 1-4m/sec)
- Through ventricular muscle cells
What aids the rapid spread of excitation in heart?
Intercalated discs between fibres
Gap junctions, providing low resistance pathways
How is the spread of excitation coordinated in atria and ventricles?
Atrial excitation and contraction are complete before ventricular contraction –> enables efficient emptying of blood from atria to ventricles
Ventricular excitation occurs synchronously –> enables ventricles to contract as coordinated units, expelling blood effectively
What does the action potential graph of ventricular cell look like?
What does excitation-contraction coupling require?
What are the order of events?
Calcium
- Influx of Ca2+ during action potential
- Triggers release of further Ca2+ from sarcoplasmic reticulum
- Free Ca2+ activates contraction of myocardial fibres (SYSTOLE)
- Amount of Ca2+ determines cross-bridge cycling & force of contraction
- Uptake of Ca2+ by sarcoplasmic reticulum and extrusion of Ca2+ by Na+/Ca2+ exchange and outward Ca2+ pump
- Lowers free Ca2+ allowing relaxation (DIASTOLE)
What is the function of the plateau phase during heart contraction?
Protects heart from tetanus
Provides long refractory period
What is the direction of ventricular excitation?
Endocardium to epicardium
Apex to base
What does activation of sympathetic nerves do to the heart?
What does the graph look like?
Increases heart rate by activating ‘beta’1-adrenoceptors in sino-atrial node
What does activation of parasympathetic nerves do to the heart?
What does the graph look like?
Decrease heart rate by activating M2 muscarinic receptors in sino-atrial node
What 5 things does an ECG provide?
- Timing and direction of cardiac events –> atrial and ventricular depolarisation, ventricular repolarisation
- Rate/rhythm disturbances –> tachycardia/bradycardia, sinus rhythm, arrythmia
- Conduction abnormalities –> A-V conduction time
- Mass of active myocardium –> ischaemic areas
- Nothing about mechanical force, only electrical conduction
What is the difference between indifferent (negative) and unipolar (positive) electrodes?
- = measure average
+ = measure from cells closest
What does depolarisation do to the polarity of a cell?
What happens with depolarisation towards and away from positive electrode?
Inside = positive
Outside = negative
Towards = upward deflection on ECG trace
Away = downward deflection on ECG trace
What happens when electrode is perpendicular to depolarisation?
What happens during depolarisation towards and away from negative electrode?
No change on ECG trace
Towards = downward deflection on ECG trace
Away = upward deflection on ECG trace
What is the relationship between electrodes on an ECG trace?
What is a bipolar potential?
Focally positioned negative electrode = records same as diametrically opposite positive electrode
Both positive and negative
Composite of what + and - electrodes measure
Longer line on ECG trace
What does repolarisation do to a cells polarity?
What are the principles of repolarisation?
Inside = negative
Outside = positive
Reverse principle of depolarisation
What is the recorded potential difference?
Mean vector of different wavefronts
Excitation = depolarisation moves in different directions
What are the 3 main events of the cardiac cycle?
- Atrial depolarisation
- Ventricular depolarisation
- Ventricular repolarisation
What happens during the P wave?
Atrial depolarisation
At bottom of peak, all cells are repolarised
What happens during P-Q?
Septum depolarisation
Small negative
Generally away from electrode
What happens during QRS?
Main ventricular depolarisation
Large positive
Towards electrode
What happens during S-T?
Base of ventricle depolarisation
Small negative
Away from electrode
What happens during T wave?
Ventricular repolarisation
Positive
Away from electrode
Where do the unipolar limb leads measure?
Where do the unipolar chest leads go?
4th intercostal space at right sternal margin
5th intercostal space at mid-axillary line
V1-V6
Where are bipolar limb leads placed and how do you get the actual measurement?
Left = positive electrode
Right = negative electrode
Actual measurement = between 2 positive electrodes
What are the 2 different ways an ECG can present?
What are the 6 rules to remmeber about ECG traces?
- The first wave, irrespective of its polarity, is always called a P wave
- The final wave is called a T wave (unless U waves (rare) are present
- The first positive wave after a P wave is called an R wave
- Any negative wave after a P wave but before an R wave is called a Q wave
- Any negative wave after an R wave is called an S wave
- Any positive wave after an S wave is called R’
What are the durations of all of the different ECG waves?
- P duration = 0.08s
- P-R interval = <0.2s
- QRS = 0.1s
- ST length = ejection
- T-P interval = filling
What does it mean when QRS complex has left or right axis deviation?
What are the different types of heart block?
- 1st degree = long P-R
- 2nd degree = some P with no QRS
- 3rd degree = complete block = no A-V conduction
What is tachycardia and what does it look like on ECG?
Atrial or ventricular
What does atrial fibrillation look like on ECG?
Ventricular = requires defibrillation or death
What are the different types of anaemia?
–Iron deficiency anaemia
–Megaloblastic anaemia
–Haemolytic anaemia
–Aplastic anaemia
–Sickle cell
–Thalassaemias
What are the symptoms of anaemia?
- Reduced Hb levels
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness/lethargy
- Tachycardia
- Pale nail bed and conjunctiva
- Severe elderly may cause angina
- Glossitis (painful red tongue)
- Angular cheilitis (fissures at corner of mouth)
- RBC DPG elevated
What are the causes of anaemia?
- Reduced input –> poor diet, stomach removal
- Increased output –> menstruation, GI bleeding ulcers, colon cancer
- Increased demand –> pregnancy
What are the treatment options for anaemia?
- Find and treat underlying cause
- Oral iron
- Prophylaxis in pregnancy
- Transfusion
What are the properties of renal anaemia?
- Complicates CRF
- Leads to normocytic anaemia
- Treat with Fe and EPO
What are the properties megaloblastic anaemia?
- Abnormal RBC maturation from defective DNA synthesis (bone marrow contains megaloblasts)
- Macrocytic
- Due to vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
- Jaundice
- B12 = required for cell division –> from animal products
What are the properties of folic acid?
- Folate = essential for thymidylate synthesis (rate limiting step in DNA synthesis)
- Found in most foods (greens, liver, yest, marmite)
- Used in pregnancy
What is the function of methotrexate?
Inhibits dihydrofolate reductase
Impaired folate regeneration
Treated with folinic acid
What is pernicious anaemia?
Lack of intrinsic factor for B12 absorption due to autoimmune disease
Treat with hydroxocobalamin
What is Chron’s disease?
Malabsorption of B12, folate or iron
What are the properties of haemolytic anaemias?
- Increased rate of RBC destruction
- Spherocytosis - genetic - abnormal reduction in RBC membrane protein (spectrin) - cells fragile
- Acquired - haemolytic transfusion reaction, malaria, drug-induced
- Jaundice (?) and enlarged spleen - folate deficiency may occur due to increased erythropoiesis
What are the properties of sickle cell anaemia?
•Genetic
- SNP: Single Nuleotide Polymorphism
•Amino-acid substitution
- Valine for glutamic acid
- Abnormal Hb - insoluble forms crystals at low O2 - RBC form sickle shapes and may block microcirculation.
- Causes haemolytic anaemia
What are the properties of thalassaemias?
- Genetic
- Reduced rate of ‘alpha’ or ‘beta’ globin units production many variations
- Deletion of both a-genes leads to death in uterus as Hb (‘gamma’4) produced
- One ‘alpha’-gene deletion reduced RBC volume and haematocrit