Cardio Flashcards
What investigation is used to diagnose coarctation of aorta?
What is the initial management of coarctation of aorta? What does this do physiologically to help?
What are the 2 definitive managements of coarctation of aorta?
ECHO
Give prostaglandin E - this reopens the ductus arteriosis which increases cardiac ouput & relieves the strain on the L ventricle
Surgical repair (narrowed part is resected and the 2 ends are anastamosed together) or stent insertion
You are working in A&E and a patient is hypotensive. What do you do to increase the BP?
How much of this would you give and over what time?
IV fluid resuscitation
500ml saline or plasmalyte bolus over 15 mins
When would the ventricles release BNP?
A high BNP suggests what condition?
BNP is secreted in response to ventricular stretching
A high BNP suggests heart failure
What murmur is heard in aortic stenosis & where would you heart it?
What murmur is heard in pulmonary stenosis & where would you hear it?
Ejection systolic murmur heard over right sternal border - radiates to carotids
Ejection systolic murmur heard over left sternal border - radiates to back
What is the classical presentation of an aortic dissection?
Sudden onset ‘tearing’ chest pain (or interscapular pain) that radiates to the back
What conditions can cause a rise in troponin? (8)
Myocardial infarction
Pulmonary embolism
Myocarditis
Arrythmia’s
Heart failure
Sepsis
Renal failure
Aortic dissection
An ejection systolic murmur in the upper left sternal border & radiates to the back indicates what type of valvular condition?
An ejection systolic murmur in the upper right sternal border & radiates to the carotids indicates what type of valvular condition?
Pulmonary stenosis
Aortic stenosis
What treatment (if any) is required for 3rd degree heart block?
Permanent pacemaker
What does AVPU stand for?
What is it used for?
A - is the patient alert?
V - does the patient respond to voice?
P - does the patient respond to pain?
U - is the patient unconscious?
AVPU: used to quickly assess the consciousness & response of a patient (instead of doing a full GCS)
Which areas of the heart do the leads of an ECG correspond to:
→ Anterior
→ Inferior
→ Lateral
→ Septal
Which artery is involved in each of the above 3 areas of the heart?
Coronary arteries:
- Anterior*: left anterior descending artery
- Inferior*: right coronary artery
- Lateral*: circumflex artery
Which areas of the heart do the leads of an ECG correspond to:
→ Anterior
→ Inferior
→ Lateral
→ Septal
Which artery is involved in each of the above 3 areas of the heart?
Coronary arteries:
- Anterior*: left anterior descending artery
- Inferior*: right coronary artery
- Lateral*: circumflex artery
What valvular disease is indicated by a slow rising carotid pulse?
Aortic stenosis
If you see a regular rhythm tachycardic ECG with very narrow QRS complexes, which arrhythmia would this indicate?
What is the underlying physiology causing this?
Supraventricular tachycardia
There is a self-continuing loop going from the ventricles to the AVN and back to the ventricles!
What is the management of Stanford type B aortic dissections?
Conservative management with BP control
What is the 1st line treatment of non-bacterial pericarditis?
What is the treatment of bacterial pericarditis?
NSAIDs (reduces the inflammation of the pericardium)
IV antibiotics
What is the commonest
1. ACEi
2. Beta blocker
used in the treatment of heart failure?
ACEi: Ramipril
Beta blocker: Bisoprolol
What is the management of a baby with symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus? - what is the mechanism behind this?
When would this management not be used and why?
In these babies, what would the management be? - what is the timeframe for this?
Indomethacin (an NSAID) - it is a prostagland inhibitor so causes closure of ductus arteriosus
Not used in term babies as their patent ductus arteriosus isnt prostaglandin sensitive!
Watch & wait - most will close spontaneously within 1y. IF symptomatic, can be surgically ligated
There are 2 types of 2nd degree heart block. What are they called?
What is the common pathology in a 2nd degree block?
Morbitz I & Morbitz II
In each type, a beat is dropped occasionally (missing QRS complex)
What medication is associated with causing Gout as a S/E?
Thiazides
What are 2 common complications of pericarditis?
Recurrent episodes of pericarditis can cause what?
Cardiac tamponade & pericardial effusion (fluid inbetween the 2 layers of pericardium)
Constrictive pericarditis
What happens in Morbitz I (2nd degree heart block)?
Progressive lengthening of the PR interval until a beat is dropped (there is no QRS complex following 1 P wave)
What clinical signs would be seen in someone with an aortic dissection?
Radio-radial delay
Radio-femoral delay
BP is different between L & R arms
What is the main action of a statin?
To lower cholesterol
What route is Dalteparin administered?
Subcutaneous injection
Describe what coarctation of the aorta is:
List the clinical signs/ symptoms of coarctation of aorta: (3)
How would a child with coarctation of aorta usually present?
Narrowing of the descending aorta
1) Weak/ absent femoral pulse
2) Radio-femoral delay
3) Systolic murmur that’s loudest at the back
Presentation: sudden deterioration & collapse
What is the most appropriate 1st line treatment for a patient with a STEMI in the following settings:
~ Remote and rural (more than 120 mins away from a big hospital)
~ Urban setting
Remote and rural: thrombolysis (this is because PCI needs to be done within 120 mins, so if this isn’t possible, start with thrombolysis and follow this with PCI when available)
Urban setting: PCI (if patient has presented within 12h of symptom onset)
Ventricular-septal defects are associated with which 2 genetic conditions?
What type of murmur is heard when there is a ventricular-septal defect?
Down syndrome, Turner’s syndrome
Pan-systolic murmur
What is lactate a marker of?
Is a high or low lactate good?
Hypoperfusion (reduced O2 reaching the tissues)
LOW lactate - the higher the lactate, the more tissues are without O2!
What direction is blood shunted in a ventricular-septal defect?
What pathology can occur over time if a ventricular-septal defect isnt corrected? What causes this?
What condition does this result in and why?
What clinical sign will be seen when this happens?
L→R ventricle
Increased blood in R ventricle → increased blood (and thus pressure) in pulmonary circulation → pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension causes Eisenmenger syndrome: pressure in R ventricle is higher than L which causes blood to be shunted from R→L
Central cyanosis (more blood is bypassing the lungs)
If an ECG shows a new LBBB, what cardiac condition should always be suspected and treated for immediately?
STEMI
What xray findings are seen in heart failure? (ABCDEF)
- *A**: Alveolar oedema
- *B:** Kerley B lines (caused by interstitial oedema)
- *C:** Cardiomegaly
- *D:** Upper lobe diversion (increased blood through the smaller blood vessels in the upper lobes - looks like cloudiness on xray)
- *E**: Pleural Effusions
- *F:** Fluid in the horizontal fissure
What is the management of Stanford type A aortic dissections?
Surgical management (aortic graft)
What is aortic dissection?
A tear in the tunica intima of the aorta allows blood to flow between the inner & outer layers of the walls of the aorta
A patient with a DVT that suddenly has a large stroke is indicitive of what pathology?
An atrial septal defect - the clot from the leg passed through the septum and into the brain!
What blood test would you do if you suspect someone has heart failure?
What other investigations would you want to request? (2)
BNP
Chest xray
ECHO (gold standard)
What traid of symptoms are associated with aortic stenosis?
- Heart failure
- Syncope
- Angina
What is a 3rd degree heart block in relation to the electical activity?
What would you see on an ECG?
No impulses are conducted between the atria & ventricles but both still contract independently at different rates
On the ECG: P waves & QRS complexes are out of sync & not related to each other at all
What are the main risk factors associated with aortic dissection? (4)
Hypertension
Connective tissue diseases (eg, Marfans)
Cocaine use
Valvular heart disease
What are the 6 components of sepsis 6?
(take 3, give 3)
→ Take blood cultures
→ Measure blood lactate
→ Measure urine output
→ Give O2 if sats are below 94%
→ Give IV antibiotics
→ Fluid challenge (give IV fluids)
What is a stanford type A and stanford type B aortic dissection?
Stanford type A: tear is within the ascending aorta or the arch of the aorta
Stanford type B: tear is within the descending aorta
What are some common triggers of trigeminal neuralgia? (5)
Cold
Wind
Chewing
Talking
Touching face
What 4 medications are used as part of thrombolysis for initial management of a STEMI?
- Tenecteplase IV - 50mg
- Heparin IV - 5000 units loading dose
- Enoxaparin 1mg/kg subcutaneous
- Clopidogrel 300mg loading dose
What drug class is the 1st line treatment of hypertension in:
- Caucasian people under 55y
- People over 55y OR black/Caribbean people of any age
* Give an example of a drug that may be used in each.*
What is a contraindictation to the drug class used in 1. & what would be used instead?
- ACEi - ramipril
- Calcium channel blocker - amlodipine
Contraindictation to ACEi = pregnancy! Use an ARB instead