Cardiology Flashcards
What is the most common cause of heart disease in children?
Congenital
How do left-to-right shunts present?
Breathlessness
What are the common causes of left to right shunts?
Ventricular septal defect - VSD
Persistent arterial duct - PDA
Atrial septal defect - ASD
How to right-to-left shunts present?
Blue Examples - AVSD, complex congenital heart disease
What is a common mixing congenital heart lesion?
Atrioventricular defect
How does an outflow obstruction present in a well child?
Asymptomatic with a murmur
What are examples of outflow obstructions (well child)?
pulmonary stenosis
aortic stenosis
How does an outflow obstruction present in a sick neonate?
What is the cause?
Collapsed with shock
Coarctation of the aorta
Where does the foramen ovale lie?
Between the left and right atrium
Where is the ductus arteriosus?
connects the pulmonary artery to the aorta
Describe fetal circulation (long)
the left atrial pressure is low as little blood returns from the lungs, right atrial pressure is high as it receives all systemic venous return
blood flows across the foramen ovale from the right atrium to the left atrium
Describe the changes to circulation at birth
LONGG
With the first breaths, resistance to pulmonary blood falls and the volume of blood flowing through the lungs increases six fold
RISE IN LEFT ATRIAL PRESSURE
Volume of blood returning to right atrium falls
Pressure difference causes foramen ovale close
When does the ductus arteriosus normally close?
within the first few hours or days
What happens when ducts in babies who rely on duct-dependent circulation close?
They rapidly deteriorate
How does congenital heart disease present?
antenatal cardiac ultrasound diagnosis
detection of a heart murmur
shock
cyanosis
When is the fetal heart checked?
Between 18/20 weeks gestation - cardiac anomaly can then be identified and surgery booked antenatally
Most common presentation of congenital heart disease?
heart murmur
What are the hallmarks of an innocent heart murmur (30%) ?5 S’s
aSympotomatic patient Soft blowing murmur Systolic murmur only, not diastolic left Sternal edge no Signs
Also:
Normal heart sounds with no added sounds
No parasternal thrill
No radiation
What conditions mean innocent murmurs are more likely to be heard?
anaemia
febrile illness
Which tests can help distinguish between innocent and pathological murmur?
ECG
Chest radiograph
get paediatric cardiology review
What are the symptoms of heart failure?
breathlessness (particularly on feeding and exertion)
sweating
poor feeding
recurrent chest infections
What are the signs of heart failure?
Poor weight gain Tachypnoea Tachycardia Heart murmur - gallop rhythm Enlarged heart Hepatomegaly Cool peripheries
What are the main causes of heart failure in neonates?
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
Critical aortic valve stenosis
Severe coarctation of the aorta
Interruption of the aortic arch
What are the main causes of heart failure in infants?
ventricular septal defect
atrioventricular septal defect
large persistent ductus arteriosus
What are the main causes of heart failure in older children and adolscents?
Eisenmenger syndrome (right heart failure only)
Rheumatic heart disease
Cardiomyopathy
When are foetus’s especially at risk of developing an AVSD?
Down’s syndrome
Previous child with heart disease
Mother with congenital heart disease
Why might heart murmurs present late in neonates?
pulmonary resistance is still high therefore VSD or PDS may only become apparent with pulmonary resistance falls a few weeks after birth
What happens when the duct closes in duct dependent circulation?
severe acidosis
collapse
death unless ductal patency is restored
What cause heart failure in the first weeks of life?
left to right shunt
pulmonary vascular resistance falls and there is an increased in left to right shunt and increasing pulmonary flow
What is Eisenmenger syndrome?
irreversibly raised pulmonary vascular resistance resulting from chronically raised pulmonary arterial pressure
What is central cyanosis a sign of?
fall in arterial blood oxygen tension
What are the causes of cyanosis in a newborn infant?
cardiac disorders - congenital heart disease
respiratory disorders - respiratory distress syndrome
persistent pulmonary HTN of the newborn infection - septicaemia from group B inborn error of metabolism
What is the key for early survival in neonates with duct dependent circulation?
maintaining ductal patency
What are the causes of cyanosis in infants (high pulmonary flow)?
ventricular septal defect
atrioventricular septal defect
large persistent ductus arteriosis
What are the causes of cyanosis in older children and adolescents (right or left heart failure)?
Eisenmenger syndrome
Rheumatic heart disease
Cardiomyopathy
What are the left to right shunts?
atrial septal defects (ASDs)
VSDs
persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
What are the two different types of ASD?
secundum ASD - 80%
partial atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD)
What are the symptoms of ASD?
none - commonly recurrent chest infections/wheeze arrhythmias - fourth decade onwards
What are the physical signs of ASD?
Ejection systolic murmur heard at ULSE A fixed split second heart sound
What would be seen on a chest radiograph in ASD?
cardiomegaly
pulmonary arteries and increased pulmonary vascular markings
What would be seen on an ECG in secundum ASD?
partial RBBB
right axis deviation
right ventricular enlargement