Cardio Flashcards
What is the aetiology of congenital heart disease?
-
Often genetic causes
- Chromosomal abnormalities
- E.g. Down’s → AVSD, VSD;
- Edward’s and Patau → complex malformations
- Point mutations
- Polygenic abnormalities
- Having a child with congenital heart disease doubles the risk in subsequent children
- Chromosomal abnormalities
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Maternal disorders
- Congenital infections
- DM, SLE
-
Maternal drugs
- Warfarin → PDA, pulmonary valve stenosis
- Foetal alcohol syndrome → ASD, VSD, tetralogy of Fallot
What are the circulatory changes in the foetus?
- The L atrial pressure is low, because relatively little blood returns from the lungs
- The pressure in the R atrium is higher than the L, as it receives all the systemic venous return including blood from the placenta
- The flap of the foramen ovale is held open (hole between atria)
- Blood flows across the atrial septum into the L atrium, and then into the L ventricle, which in turn pumps it to the body
- The ductus arteriosus connects the pulmonary artery to the aorta (so any blood pumped from the R ventricle bypasses the lungs)
What are the circulatory changes that occur at birth?
- With the first few breaths, resistance to pulmonary blood flow falls and the volume of blood flowing through the lungs increases x6
- This results in a rise in L atrial pressure
- Meanwhile, the volume of blood returning to the R atrium falls as the placenta is excluded from the circulation
- The change in pressure difference causes the flap of the foramen ovale to close
- The ductus arteriosus closes within the first few hrs or days
- Some babies with congenital heart lesions rely on blood flow through the ductus arteriosus (duct-dependent circulation) à their clinical condition deteriorates dramatically when the duct closes at around 1-2d of age
What are the different presentations of congenital cardiac abnormalities?
- Antenatal cardiac USS diagnosis
- Detection of a heart murmur
- Heart failure
- Shock
- Cyanosis
Summarise the antenatal detection of a congenital cardiac abnormality
- Part of routine anomaly scan at 18-20wks
- 70% infants who require surgery in the first 6 months of life are diagnosed antenatally
- If an abnormality is detected, detailed foetal echo is done by paediatric cardiologist
- Any foetus at increased risk, e.g. suspected Down’s, is also checked
- Management can be planned antenatally (some mothers choose TOP)
Summarise the murmur presentation of congenital cardiac abnormalities
- Most common presentation of congenital heart disease
- The vast majority of children with murmurs have a normal heart → ‘innocent’ murmurs
- If a murmur is thought to be pathological, or there is uncertainty → paediatric cardiology
- CXR and ECG may help
- Many newborns with shunts, e.g. VSD, do not have symptoms or a murmur at birth (because resistance is still high) → may only become apparent when pulmonary vascular resistance falls (at several weeks of age)
Summarise innocent murmurs
- Heard in 30% children
- Hallmarks of an innocent ejection systolic murmur: (all have an S – innoSent)
- aSymptomatic
- Soft blowing murmur
- Systolic murmur only (not diastolic)
- left Sternal edge
-
Also:
- Normal heart sounds with no added sounds
- No parasternal thrill
- No radiation
- Often heard during febrile illness or anaemia (due to increased CO) → look for this
Summarise the shock presentation of congenital cardiac abnormalities
- When the duct closes in severe L heart obstruction
Summarise the cyanotic presentation of congenital cardiac abnormalities
- Peripheral cyanosis may occur when a child is cold or unwell from any cause
- Central cyanosis (slate-blue colour on tongue) is caused by a fall in arterial blood oxygen tension
- Persistent cyanosis in an otherwise well infant is almost always due to structural heart disease
-
In newborn infants with respiratory distress, it may be due to:
- congenital heart disease (cyanotic congenital heart disease),
- respiratory disorders (resp distress syndrome, meconium aspiration),
- persistent pulmonary HTN of the newborn,
- infection or inborn errors of metabolism
Give examples of each of the presentations of congenital cardiac disease
Name the types of congenital heart disease
- Left-to-right shunts:
- Right-to-left shunts:
- Common mixing:
- Outflow obstruction in the well child:
- Outflow obstruction in the sick infant:
Give some examples of left to right shunts
- Left-to-right shunts:
- Atrial septal defects (ASD)
- Ventricular septal defects (VSD)
- Persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
Give some examples of right to left shunts
- Right-to-left shunts:
- Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF)
- Transposition of the great arteries (ToGA)
- These cause cyanotic congenital heart disease
Give some examples of common mixing conditions
- Common mixing:
- Atrioventricular septal defect (complete) (AVSD)
- Complex congenital heart disease, e.g. tricuspid atresia
Give some examples of outflow obstruction in the well child
- Outflow obstruction in the well child:
- Aortic stenosis
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Adult-type coarctation of the aorta
Give some examples of outflow obstruction in the sick infant
- Outflow obstruction in the sick infant:
- Coarctation of the aorta
- Interruption of the aortic arch
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
What are some findings in ECGs in children that are unhelpful/normal?
ECG in children:
- P-wave morphology is rarely helpful in children
- Partial RBBB – most are normal in children (but it is common in ASD)
- Sinus arrhythmia is a normal finding
Name the non-cyanotic congenital heart conditions
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
- Atrial septal defect (ASD)
- Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD)
- Coarctation of the aorta
Name the cyanotic congenital heart conditions
- Transposition of the great arteries
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- etc
What is patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)?
Persistence of a foetal structure, the ductus arteriosus, after birth
What is the aetiology of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)?
- The ductus arteriosus connects the pulmonary artery to the descending aorta → allows blood to bypass the lungs in utero In term infants, it usually closes shortly after birth
- In the foetus, its patency is maintained by a low O2 environment and circulating prostaglandins produced by the placenta (PGE2 and PG12)
- After birth, O2 sats increase (constriction of duct through K-mediated channels) and level of circulating prostaglandins falls (as placenta is removed from circulation)
- In PDA, it has failed to close by 1 month after the expected date of delivery
- Due to a defect in the constrictor mechanism of the duct
- The blood flow across the PDA is then from the aorta to the pulmonary artery (L to R) due to the fall in pulmonary vascular resistance at birth (so pressure in aorta is higher)
- Larger ducts can lead to pulmonary HTN (due to lots of blood being shunted) In preterm infants, the presence of a PDA is not due to congenital heart disease (it is due to prematurity)
What are the RFs for patent ductus arteriosus?
- prematurity,
- maternal rubella,
- FHx,
- living at high altitude
Summarise the epidemiology of patent ductus arteriosus
- 1/1000 in term infants (very common in preterm infants)
- F>M
What are the signs and symptoms of patent ductus arteriosus?
- Usually asymptomatic
- If the duct is large → increased pulmonary blood flow with HF and pulmonary HTN
- On examination:
-
Continuous murmur at upper left sternal edge/beneath left clavicle - sounds ‘mechanical’
- Murmur is continuous because pulmonary artery pressure is lower than aortic throughout the cardiac cycle
-
Continuous murmur at upper left sternal edge/beneath left clavicle - sounds ‘mechanical’
- Increased pulse pressure → causes a collapsing or bounding pulse
What are the Ix for ?PDA?
-
CXR
- Usually normal
- If large, same features as large VSD
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ECG
- Usually normal
- If large, same features as large VSD
-
Echo and Doppler USS
- Diagnostic
What is the Mx of PDA?
In preterm infants: COX inhibitors (IV indometacin or ibuprofen) to help closure
In all infants:
- Pharmacological treatment of HF until correction (if necessary) e.g. Diuretics, captopril, digoxin
-
Closure with coil or occlusion device introduced via cardiac catheter
- At 1yo
- Recommended regardless of shunt size to reduce lifelong risk of infective endocarditis and pulmonary HTN
- Occasionally, surgical ligation is required (if large ducts or symptomatic infants too small for device closure)
What is the Mx of PDA?
In preterm infants: COX inhibitors (IV indometacin or ibuprofen) to help closure
In all infants:
- Pharmacological treatment of HF until correction (if necessary) e.g. Diuretics, captopril, digoxin
-
Closure with coil or occlusion device introduced via cardiac catheter
- At 1yo
- Recommended regardless of shunt size to reduce lifelong risk of infective endocarditis and pulmonary HTN
- Occasionally, surgical ligation is required (if large ducts or symptomatic infants too small for device closure)
What are the complications of PDA?
- Faltering growth (if duct starts to dilate)
- Infective endocarditis, endarteritis
- Pulmonary HTN
- Congestive HF
- In preterm infants, associated with RDS, NEC and pulmonary haemorrhage
What is the prognosis of PDA?
Prognosis is excellent if closed
What is an ASD?
An opening in the atrial septum, excluding a parent foramen ovale
What are the 2 types of ASD?
There are 2 main types → presentation is similar but anatomy is different:
-
Secundum ASD (80%)
- Defect in the centre of the of the atrial septum, in the region of the foramen ovale
-
Partial atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD or primum ASD)
- Defect of the atrioventricular septum, characterised by:
- An interatrial communication between the bottom end of the atrial septum and the atrioventricular valves (primum ASD)
- Abnormal atrioventricular valves, with a L AV valve which has 3 leaflets and tends to leak (regurgitant valve)
- Defect of the atrioventricular septum, characterised by:
What is the aetiology/pathophysiology of ASD?
In infancy, the R heart is relatively thick and non-compliant and has higher pressure than the L side, so there is minimal L to R shunting
- As pulmonary vascular resistance decreases, the R heart becomes more compliant → L to R shunt increases
- With age, the L to R shunt is exacerbated by increasing stiffness of the L ventricle (due to ageing and systemic HTN) à R atrium, R ventricle and pulmonary arteries enlarge due to the increased volume load
What are the RFs for an ASD?
- maternal alcohol consumption,
- FHx (some causative mutations have been found)
- Most are spontaneous with no FHx of congenital heart defects
What are the signs and symptoms of an ASD?
- Usually asymptomatic
- Recurrent chest infections/wheeze
- Failure to thrive (10%)
- On examination:
- Ejection systolic murmur at upper L sternal edge (due to increased flow across pulmonary valve)
- Fixed widely split 2nd HS; doesn’t become single with expiration (due to RV SV being equal in inspiration and expiration)
- Pansystolic murmur at apex in partial AVSD (due to AV valve regurgitation)
What are the Ix for ?ASD?
-
CXR
- Cardiomegaly
- Enlarged pulmonary arteries; increased pulmonary vascular markings
-
ECG
- Secundum ASD:
- Partial RBBB is common (but may occur in normal children)
- R axis deviation due to RV enlargement
- Partial AVSD:
- Superior (left) axis deviation (mainly negative in AVF)
- Occurs because there is a defect of the middle part of the heart where the AVN is à displaced AVN conducts to the ventricles superiorly, giving the abnormal axis
- Superior (left) axis deviation (mainly negative in AVF)
- Secundum ASD:
-
Echo and Doppler USS
- Diagnostic
What is the Mx of an ASD?
Observation:
- For all patients à defect may close or shrink
- If small, closure is not required
- Treatment is done if significant ASD (large enough to cause RV dilatation), around 3-5yo
Secundum ASD:
- Cardiac catheterisation with insertion of an occlusive device
Partial AVSD:
- Surgical correction
Prophylactic antibiotics (amoxicillin) to prevent endocarditis
- For 6 months after catheterisation/surgical closure
- Also given before any procedure that could cause bacteraemia
What are the complications of ASD?
Complications:
- Device erosion (after repair)
- Infective endocarditis
- Eisenmenger’s syndrome
- Arrhythmias (from 4th decade)
- Congestive HF (in <10% infants; or 5th decade)
What is Eisenmenger’s syndrome ?
- Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) refers to the combination pulmonary HTN and abnormal blood flow through the heart.
- ES most often occurs in those with congenital heart defects that are not repaired in childhood.
- The most common type of heart defect associated with Eisenmenger syndrome is a ventricular septal defect, but other types of heart defects can lead to Eisenmenger syndrome.
- The symptoms include cyanosis, clubbing and SOB. T
- The symptoms of ES typically get worse over time.
- Tx for severe ES: heart and lung transplant
What is the prognosis of ASD?
- Excellent prognosis for uncomplicated ASDs closed surgically
- Poor prognosis for later complications, e.g. Eisenmenger’s syndrome
What is a ventricular septal defect (VSD)?
Defects in the inter-ventricular septum that allow shunting of blood between the L and R ventricles
What is the aetiology of VSD?
There is a defect anywhere in the ventricular septum →
- perimembranous (adjacent to the tricuspid valve – 70%)
- or muscular (completely surrounded by muscle)
Categorised according to size:
- Small (80%): smaller than the aortic valve in diameter (up to 3mm)
- Leads to minimal L to R shunting, and doesn’t cause increased pulmonary vascular resistance
- Large: same size or bigger than aortic valve
- Leads to L to R shunting à pulmonary HTN
- Gradually, the pulmonary vascular resistance rises à decreased shunting (and ultimately shunt reversal) à R HF (Eisenmenger’s syndrome)
How are VSDs categorised?
Categorised according to size:
-
Small (80%): smaller than the aortic valve in diameter (up to 3mm)
- Leads to minimal L to R shunting, and doesn’t cause increased pulmonary vascular resistance
-
Large: same size or bigger than aortic valve
- Leads to L to R shunting → pulmonary HTN
- Gradually, the pulmonary vascular resistance rises à decreased shunting (and ultimately shunt reversal) à R HF (Eisenmenger’s syndrome)
What are the RFs for VSD?
- FHx,
- some genetic abnormalities (e.g. Down’s),
- maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy
What is the epidemiology of VSD?
Common → 30% of congenital heart disease
What are the signs and symptoms of a small VSD?
Small VSD:
- Asymptomatic
- On examination:
-
Loud pansystolic murmur at lower L sternal edge
- Loud murmur implies smaller defect due to increased resistance to flow
-
Loud pansystolic murmur at lower L sternal edge
What are the signs and symptoms of a large VSD?
Large VSD:
- HF after 1wk old → breathlessness, growth faltering
- Recurrent chest infections
- On examination:
- Tachypnoea, tachycardia, hepatomegaly (from HF)
- Active precordium
- Soft murmur or no murmur (implies large defect)
- Loud pulmonary component of 2nd HS (sign of pulmonary HTN)