Cardio Exam

Question 1

What are the causes of SOB?

Answer 1

Cardiovascular (Congestive heart failure, pericarditis)

Respiratory (pneumonia, PE)

Question 2

What is Malar Flush associated with?

Answer 2

Mitral Stenosis

Question 3

What is Xanthomata associated with?

Answer 3

Hyperlipidaemia which is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease

Question 4

What is Arachnodactyly (spider fingers) associated with?

Answer 4

Marfan’s Syndrome which is mitral/aortic valve prolapse and aortic dissection

Question 5

What are the cardio causes of finger clubbing?

Answer 5

Congenital cyanotic heart disease
Infective endocarditis
Atrial Myxoma

Question 6

What are the causes of radio-radial delay?

Answer 6

Subclavian artery stenosis
Aortic dissection
Aortic coarctation

Question 7

What are the causes of a collapsing pulse?

Answer 7

Normal physiological states (e.g. fever, prgnancy)
Cardiac lesions (e.g. aortic regurgitation, patnet ductus arteriosus)
High output states (e.g. anaemia, arteriovenous fistula, thyrotoxicosis)

Question 8

What is a slow-rising pulse associated with?

Answer 8

Aortic Stenosis

Question 9

What is a bounding pulse associated with?

Answer 9

Aortic regurgitation (alongside CO2 retention)

Question 10

What is a thready pulse associated with?

Answer 10

Intravascular hypovolaemia (e.g. in sepsis)

Question 11

What is a narrow pulse pressure associated with?

Answer 11

Aortic Stenosis
Congestive Heart Failure
Cardiac Tamponade

Question 12

What is a wide pulse pressure associated with?

Answer 12

Aortic regurgitation and aortic dissection

Question 13

What is a > 20 mm Hg difference in BP between each arm suggest?

Answer 13

Aortic Dissection

Question 14

What could a carotid bruit suggest?

Answer 14

Underlying carotid stenosis
OR
A radiating cardiac murmur (aortic stenosis)

Question 15

What are the cardiac causes of a raised JVP?

Answer 15

Right-sided heart failure (commonly caused by left-sided heart failure)
Tricuspid regurgitation
Constrictive pericarditis

Question 16

What is angular stomatitis associated with?

Answer 16

Iron deficiency

Question 17

What is a high arched palate associated with?

Answer 17

Feature of Marfan’s syndrome

Question 18

What is poor dental hygeine associate with?

Answer 18

Infective endocarditis

Question 19

What is a midline scar suggestive of?

Answer 19

Median Sternotomy Scar

Cardiac valve replacement and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts (CABG)

Question 20

What does a scar located between the lateral border of the sternum and the mid-axillary line at the 4th or fth intercostal space suggest?

Answer 20

Anterolateral Thoracotomy Scar

Used for minimally invasive cardiac valve surgery

Question 21

What is a scar in the infraclavicular region suggestive of?

Answer 21

Pacemaker insertion

Question 22

What is a left mid-axillary scar suggestive of?

Answer 22

Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defribillator (ICD)

Question 23

What can cause displacement of the apex beat?

Answer 23

Ventricular hypertrophy

Question 24

What can a parasternal heave suggest?

Answer 24

Right ventricular hypertrophy

Question 25

What are you looking for in the accentuation manoeuvre at the carotids?

Answer 25

Radiation of an ejection systolic murmur caused by aortic stenosis

Question 26

What are you looking for with the accentuation manouevre in the aortic area?

Answer 26

Early diastolic murmur caused by aortic regurgitation

Question 27

What are looking for in the mitral area and axilla with the diaphragm after the accentuation manoeuvre?

Answer 27

Pansystolic murmur caused by mitral regurgitation

Listen in axilla for radiation of this murmur

Question 28

What are you looking for in the mitral area with your bell in the accentuation manoeuvre?

Answer 28

Mid-diastolic murmur caused by mitral stenosis

Question 29

What does coarse crackles in the posterior lung fields suggest?

Answer 29

Pulmonary oedema