Cardio Flashcards
Atherosclerosis is
Athermatous plaques forming in artery walls
Atherosclerosis plaques result in (3)
Stiffening
Stenosis
Plaque rupture
Stiffening in atherosclerosis leads to
HTN
Stenosis in atherosclerosis leads to
Angina
Plaque Rupture in atherosclerosis leads to
MI etc
Start a statin first check
LFTs
Statin ADRs
Myopathy, rhabdomyolysis
After a MI, offer patients
Dual antiplatelets
Aspirin 75 mg
Clopidogrel or Ticagrelor
Generally for 12 months
Angina is stable when
Symptoms come on with exertion only, and always relieved by rest or GTN
Angina is unstable when
Symptoms appear randomly whilst at rest
- type of acute coronary syndrome and require immediate management
Patients with angina should have which investigations (6)
Physical examination (cardio, BP, BMI), ECG, blood tests
Cardiac stress testing
CT coronary angiography
Invasive coronary angiography (gold standard)
GTN ADRs
dizziness and headaches
long-term symptomatic relief of stable angina medications (2)
B-blocker (bisoprolol)
CCB - diltiazem or verapamil - avoid in HF
MI prevention thrombus med
Aspirin
Surgical interventions for angina
Percutaneous coronary intervention, Coronary artery bypass graft.
Three types of acute coronary syndrome
Unstable angina
STEMI
NSTEMI
ACS Investigations
Troponin, baseline bloods
ECG
CXR
Echocardiogram - once stable - to assess functional damage to the heart.
Troponin specific?
Troponin is a non-specific marker, meaning that a raised troponin does not automatically imply acute coronary syndrome. The alternative causes of a raised troponin include:
Chronic kidney disease
Sepsis
Myocarditis
Aortic dissection
Pulmonary embolism
STEMI management
PCI (within 2 hrs)
Thrombolysis
Complications of MI
Death
Rupture
oEdema (Heart failure)
Arrhythmia
Dressler’s syndrome
Dressler’s syndrome
2-3 weeks after acute MI, localised immune response resulting in inflammation of pericardium - pericarditis.
Pleuritic chest pain, low grade fever, pericardial rub on auscultation.
Dressler’s syndrome complications
Pericardial effusion and rarely pericardial tamponade
Dressler’s syndrome management
NSAIDs, steroids, pericardiocentesis if needed.
Pericarditis
idiopathic, infective - viral mostly.
Also autoimmune (RA, SLE), injury, uraemia, cancer
Pericarditis complication
Pericardial effusion & pericardial tamponade
Pericarditis symptoms
Chest pain, low-grade fever
Chest pain is sharp, worse with inspiration (pleuritic), worse on lying down, better on sitting forward.
Pericarditis examination
Pericardial friction rub alongside heart sounds
Pericarditis investigations
Blood tests, ECG (saddle shaped ST elevation), PR depression
Echo can diagnose pericardial effusion
Management of pericarditis
NSAIDs
Colchicine taken longer term e.g. 3 months to reduce risk of recurrence.
Steroids second line
Pericardiocentesis if needed
Pacemakers incompatible with
MRI scans, diathermy
Indications for a pacemaker
symptomatic bradycardia, some types of heart block, , AV node ablation for atrial fibrillation, severe heart failure
ECG changes pacemaker
Sharp vertical line on all leads before P wave and/or before QRS
Acute left venticular failure symptoms
Pulmonary oedema
Triggers of acute left ventricular failure
Iatrogenic - e.g. agressive IV fluids
MI
Arrhythmias
Sepsis
Hypertensive emergency
Right sided HF findings
Raised JVP
Peripheral oedema
Assessment of patients with acute left ventricular failure
ECG - ischaemia & arrhythmias
Bloods - anaemia, infection, kidneys, BNP, troponin
Arterial blood gas
Chest X-ray
Echo
BNP sensitive but not specific - can also be
tachycardia, sepsis, PE, renal impairment, COPD
BNP represents myocardial
stretch
acts on smooth muscle in blood vessels to reduce systemic vascular resistance
LVEF normal value
if above 50%
CXR findings HF
Cardiomegaly, pleural effusion, kerley B lines, upper lobe diversion
Management Acute left ventricular failure
S - sit up
O - oxygen
D - diuretics
I - intravenous fluids STOP
U - underlying cause identified and treated
M - monitor fluid (urine output, Us&Es, body weight)
Management Acute left ventricular failure
- acronym
SODIUM
Causes chronic heart failure
Ischaemic heart disease, valvular heart disease - commonly aortic stenosis, hypertension, arrhythmias - commonly atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy
Chronic heart failure treatment - medications
ABAL
Ace Inhibitor
B blocker
Aldosterone antagonist (if A&B not adequate)
Loop diuretic
ACE inhibitors and aldosterone effect on K
Can cause hyperkalaemia
Secondary causes of hypertension acronym
ROPED
Secondary causes of hypertension
R - renal disease - e.g. renal artery stenosis
O - obesity
P - pregnancy
E - endocrine
D - drugs
Sleep apneoa
HTN increases the risk of
Ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular accident, vascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, vascular dementia, left ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure.
New HTN diagnosis investigations
Urine dipstick, bloods - HbA1c, renal function, lipids, fundus examination, ECG
HTN management
Lifestyle
Ace inhibitor (not if african), B blocker, CCB e.g. amlodipine, Diuretic (thiazide), ARB