Cardiac Pharmacology Flashcards
List 6 mechanisms by which a heart can fail?
pump/mechanical failure
obstruction to. forward flow via stenosis or hypertension
regurgitant flow via valve dysfunction
congenital shunt causing volume overload in certain chambers
conduction disorders like arrhythmias
reduced fluid return from vessel rupture or vasodilation resulting in reducing preload
What are 6 compensatory mechanisms that occur in response to heart failure?
increase heart rate
increase peripheral resistance
redistribution of blood flow
increase blood volume
myocardial hypertrophy
cardiac dilation
Explain how cardiac function is controlled? How do acute and chronic outcomes compare?
PSNS reduces the heart rate via the vagus nerve
SNS increases heart rate and contractility via sympathetic cardiac nerves
acute increases in sympathetic tone result in
- increased heart rate
- increase cardiac output
- increase TPR
chronic increases in sympathetic tone result in
- persistant tachycardia
- adrenergic receptor downregulation
- increased myocardial oxygen demand
- myocyte necrosis
Define cardiac output
heart rate x stroke volume
What are the physiologic features of skeletal muscle?
they have
- intercalated discs/gap junctions
- branched
- central nucleus
Explain the mechanism of how heart disease causes congestive heart failure?
Heart disease reduces cardiac output
reduced cardiac output results in reduced blood pressure
low blood pressure causes:
- reduced renal perfusion and that stimulates renin production
- sympathetic activation (of alpha and beta receptors)
- Renin = increased angiotensin 2
- stimulates increased aldosterone and ADH (also stimulate SNS activation and vassoconstriction)
- water and Na retention
- increase blood volume
- increase hydrostatic and lower oncotic pressure
- edema and increased preload
- cardiac dilation = further reduces cardiac output - SNS activation results in vasoconstriction and an increase in heart rate and TPR
- vasoconstriction will increase heart rate and TPR
- this increases afterload and cardiac work resulting in reduced cardiac output
Explain the steps of RAAS activation and its impacts on the heart.
- reduced blood pressure stimuli
- juxtaglomerular cells release renin
- renin converts angiotensinogen to angiotensin 1 in liver
- angiotensin 1 to angiotensin 2 converted in the lungs by angiotensin converting enzyme
- ACE interacts with bradykinin causing vasoconstriction
- angiotensin 2 causes vasoconstriction, SNS activation , increased aldosterone release
- aldosterone increases sodium and water retention = increasing blood volume
vasoconstriction will increase afterload
aldosterone will increase preload
What are the gross systemic effects of heart failure?
pulmonary edema from LS heart failure
liver congestion, subcutaneous edema, ascites from RS heart failure
edema is from increased preload
What is the most common kind of heart disease causing heart failure in dogs? How does the prevalence compare to other types of heart disease
myxomatous valvular degeneratioin
small dogs
mitral valve collagen degeneration causes valve regurgitation
- increases cardiac work
- ventricular remodeling and dysfunction
myxomatous > congenital heart disease > DCM > hemorrhagic pericardial effusion > neoplasia > dirofilaria
List the common causes of heart disease/failure in cats
HCM > DCM > hyperthyroid associated hypertrophy > congenital
List 6 factors that cardiac drugs can target
chronotropy
inotropy
peripheral resistance/vascular tone
blood volume (diuresis/fluid)
rate of conduction/rhythm
neurohormonal input
What are 5 potential goals of cardiac drugs
Modify (1+)
preload
afterload
rate/rhythm
contractility
SNS/neurohormonal input
Explain the frank starling law/mechanism is?
It says that by increasing preload it will increase cardiac output up until a certain point
- disease reduces the threshold of preload that will ‘max’ the capacity of cardiac output
(healthy animals are moderate, when exercising the threshold is increased)
How do cardiac drugs affect cardiac output in terms of the frank starling law
diuretics will act to reduce the preload
positive inotropes will increase cardiac output
mixed vasodilators will act to both increase cardiac output and reduce preload
On the frank starling curve, preload is on the x axis and cardiac output is on the y axis.
We are using these drug to optimize cardiac output and reduce increased blood pressure associated with high preload and CHF (>25mmHg)
If CHF is severe and has both forward and backwards failure you may need a diuretic and a positive inotrope
What is a physiologic reflex in response to drug administration? + example
It is an indirect response to a drug
furosemide will reduce blood volume
- renal vasodilation and reduced bp
- RAAS activation
- increasing SNS and heart rate
What are the categories of drugs that can directly target the heart? And the types/classes of drugs under each category
inotropes
- adrenergic
- inodilator
- cardiac glycoside
chronotropes
- adrenergic
- cholinergic
antiarrhythmics
class
1 - Na channel blocker
2 - beta blocker
3 - potassium channel blocker
4 - Ca channel blocker
Explain the process of cardiac muscle contraction
it is similar to skeletal muscle contraction except it is synchronous
- resting membrane potential = -90mV
- because there is more extracellular potassium - Na channel inactive while K and Ca channels are open
- Ca enters and triggers Ca release from sarcoplasmic reticulum
- Ca binds troponin which allows actin and myosin to interact
- not all the troponin will interact with Ca so you can control muscle contraction by controlling the amount of Ca available - Ca is removed by Na/Ca pump exchanger or returned to sarcoplasmic reticulum
- intracellular Na homeostasis returned via Na/K pump
What is the main function of positive and negative inotropes respectively
+ = used to treat reduced cardiac output
- = can be used to reduce myocardial O2 consumption but not used as much
List 3 examples of short term positive inotropes
dobutamine
dopamine
epinephrine
List 2 examples of chronic use positive inotropes
digoxin
pimobendan
What is digoxin? What is its mechanism of action?
it is a cardiac glycoside from the foxglove plant
It inhibits Na/K pump causing an increase in intracellular sodium
- increased intracellular Na = reduced action of Na/Ca exchanger
= more intracellular Ca
What are the effects of digoxin
reduce heart rate
- restore baroreceptor sensitivity = reduced SNS and increase PSNS
increase inotropy
increase cardiac output
What is digoxin used for
atrial fibrillation (by increasing PSNS)
not normally used
its efficacy is not well studied
What are the adverse effects associated with digoxin
arrhythmias (impact K)
electrolyte interactions
drug interactions (careful with furosemide)
GI effects - v and anorexia
It has a long half life
- dog = 24-39h
- cat = 33-58h
What are the effects of pimobendan
positive inotrope
vasodilator
This results in increased contractility without increased myocardial oxygen demand
What is the mechanism of action of pimobendan
Increase inotropy by…
- sensitizes troponin C to Ca
- inhibit phosphodiesterase 3 in heart = increase cAMP
Reduce pre and afterload by…
- inhibiting phosphodiesterase 3 and 4 = cAMP/cGMP accumulation = vein and artery dilation
cAMP is made after norepinephrine binds the beta 1 receptor by adenylyl cyclase
- result in increased cAMP, strength and rate of contraction, rate of AP conduction
In what cases is pimobendan contraindicated
HCM
aortic stenosis
arrhythmia
= situations where increasing cardiac output could be bad
In what cases is pimobendan indicated
DCM
mitral valve insufficiency
What are the pharmacokinetic features of pimobendan
short half life (30min in dogs with 2hrs of active metabolite)
93%/mostly protein bound
excreted in feces
What are the instructions for pimobendan administration
PO 1hr before meal
What are the adverse effects of pimobendan
usually safe/well tolerated
GI effects
tachycardia - at high doses
PU/PD
CNS toxicity
Which 2 positive inotropes are B1 agonists? How are they administered?
dopamine and dobutamine
IV only (low bioavailability)
What is the mechanism of action of dopamine/dobutamine? What class of drug are they?
beta agonists
Heart - act on beta 1 receptors
- norepi + B1 result in increased cAMP
- result in phosphorylation of Ca channel by protein kinase A
- increases Ca entry
- increased Ca release from sarcoplasmic reticulum
Vessels - B2 receptor targets
- B2 activation results in increased cAMP
- increased cAMP inhibits the myosin light chain
- vasodilation
B2 activation will also cause bronchodilation
What is the effect of dobutamine? How is it administered?
positive inotrope + no impact on heart rate (at normal doses)
- no renal vasodilation
CRI (because half life is 2 mins)