Cardiology Flashcards
What is hypotension?
A drop in BP >20 systolic (>30 when HTN), and/or drop in >10 diastolic upon standing.
What are the causes of hypotension?
Hypovolaemia
Alcohol
Autonomic dysfunction: diabetes, Parkinson’s
Medication - ASDA –> anti HTN, sedatives, diuretics, alpha blockers
What is the typical presentation and investigations for hypotension?
- BP as above
- Pre syncope/syncope –> light headedness, tunnel vision
- Often worse in morning
What are the management options for hypotension?
Initial conservative
- Advise fluid intake
- Get up slowly
- If pre prandial then small meals little and often
- ? referral to possible falls service
Not worked
- Consider referral for drug Tx
- 1st line –> mineralocorticord –> fludrocortisone –> increase retention Na and water.
- 2nd line –> sympathomimetic –> midodrine
What is peripheral vascular disease?
What are the two major RF?
What are the main groups?
- Reduction in blood supply to the lower limbs due to narrowing and occlusion of the arteries supplying the lower limbs.
- Most commonly causes by atherosclerosis.
- Smoking and diabetes
- Chronic limb ischaemia –> intermittent claudication, critical limb ischaemia
- Acute limb ischaemia
What is intermittent claudication and it’s typical presentation?
-Narrowing of the peripheral arteries means that upon exertion e.g walking that demand for extra O2 and blood cannot be met due to increased demand. ANGINA OF THE LEGS
- Presents w pain/achey/burning of muscles after exertion.
- Pain relieved by rest w/i minutes of stopping
- Can walk predictable distance before stopping and symptoms
- May have non healing wounds on leg
What is critical limb ischaemia?
- Inadequate perfusion of tissue even at rest.
- Progression of intermittent claudication.
- Presents w continuous pain even when at rest.
- Patient might report hanging legs out of bed at night to relieve symptoms
- Possible ulcers and gangrene
- SIGN OF IMMINENT RISK OF LIMB LOSS IF NOT TREATED.
What is acute limb ischaemia?
Sudden occlusion of a peripheral artery as a result of a thrombus e.g plaque rupture and therefore sudden decrease in limb perfusion that threatens limb viability.
Sudden onset of leg pain- can be w a background on claudication etc or present suddenly w/o history
-RISK OF LIMB LOSS
-6 Ps –> pallor, paralysis, pulseless, paraaetheisa, perishingly cold
How are peripheral vascular diseases diagnosed?
What is buergers angle?
PVD examination –> absent pulses
-1ST line –> duplex colour US –> visualise arteries and stenosis
-Ankle brachial pressure index
1 = normal. 06-0.9 = claudication 0.3-0.6 = rest pain
<0.3 = impending
Buergers angle –> patient supine, raise legs to 45 degrees, observe colour after 1-2 mins, pallor indicates ischaemia.
What is the management of intermittent claudication?
- Smoking cessation key.
- Supervised exercise programme
- Established CVD then atorvastatin 80mg
- Antiplatelet w clopidogrel 1st line not aspirin?
- If neither of above work, consider referral to vascular for sugery e.g bypass or angioplasty
- Don’t want to be referred for surgery –> vasodilator –> naftidrofuryl oxalate.
What is the management of critical limb ischamia?
- Urgent referral to vascular
- As above
- Surgery
What is the management of acute limb ischaemia?
EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT BY SPECIALIST
-Systemic anticoag –> heparin?
Non viable limb –> amputation
Viable –> revascularisation –> endovascular often preferred, other options percuatneous catheter directed thrombolysis, surgical thromboectomy
What is giant cell arteritis?
Who are those most at risk?
What condition is connected to GCA?
- Systemic vasculitis of the medium and large arteries.
- Most effects temporal arteries –> temporal arteritis.
- Females >50
- Polymyalgia rheumatica –> 40% with GCA have
What is the presentation of GCA?
- Sudden onset unilateral throbbing headache in temporal arteries
- Pulseless temporal arteries or other e.g thickening, nodularity, tender.
- Scalp tenderness
- Intermittent jaw claudication –> pain on eating
- Visual loss –> can be sudden. e.g amarosis fugax.
- Other visual symptoms –> visual field defects, tunnel vision
- Polymyalgia rheumatica –> bilat upper arm stiffness.
- Irreversible painless vision loss can occur suddenly.
What are the investigations for GCA?
What does the diagnostic investigation show?
What would you see on duplex US?
- Bloods –> CRP and ESR increased
- Diagnosis –> temporal artery biopsy –> multinucleated giant cells
- Duplex US of arteries –> hyperechoic halo sign