Cardiology clinical notes

Question 1

What are the layers of the heart from superficial to deep?

Answer 1

• Epicardium (visceral serous pericardium)
• Myocardium
• Endocardium
• Fibrous skeleton

Question 2

What type of muscle makes up the myocardium?

Answer 2

Cardiac muscle

Question 3

Myocardial infarction

Answer 3

Lack of blood to a specific area of the myocardium

Question 4

Angina Pectoris

Answer 4

Pain that originates in the heart and produces a pain of the chest

Question 5

Ligamentum Arteriosum is a remnant of?

Answer 5

Ductus Arteriosus

Question 6

The ligamentum arteriosum now connects?

Answer 6

Pulmonary trunk and arch of aorta

Question 7

What nerve loops around the ligamentum arteriosum?

Answer 7

Left recurrent laryngeal nerve of the vagus nerve

Question 8

Atrial septal defects usually involve?

Answer 8

Incomplete closure of foramen ovale

Question 9

Larger openings in the interatrial septum allow mixture of?

Answer 9

Oxygen rich and oxygen depleted blood

Question 10

Cardiac catheterization

Answer 10

Insertion of a catheter into femoral vein, up to IVC and allows visualization of the right atrium, ventricle and pulmonary trunk

Question 11

Which side of the heart has thicker walls?

Answer 11

Left

Question 12

Where is the sinuatrial node?

Answer 12

Where SVC meets right atrium

Question 13

What initiates impulses in the heart?

Answer 13

Sinuatrial node

Question 14

What then responds to the signal from the sinuatrial node?

Answer 14

Atrioventricular node

Question 15

The atrioventricular node distributes the signal to?

Answer 15

Ventricles

Question 16

4 steps to signal propagation in the heart

Answer 16

1. Sinuatrial node
2. Atrioventricular node
3. Atrioventricular bundle
4. Subendocardial branches (purkinje)

Question 17

Produces a regular electrical impulse that is carried to the ventricles via electrodes

Answer 17

Artificial cardiac pacemaker

Question 18

What vein is an artificial cardiac pacemaker electrodes placed in?

Answer 18

SVC

Question 19

Atrial fibrilation

Answer 19

Irregular twitching of atrial cardiac muscle fibers

- causes ventricles to respond irregularly

Question 20

Ventricular fibrilation

Answer 20

Rapid irregular twitching of the ventricles rendering the heart unable to pump blood

Question 21

Where is cardiac referred pain usually?

Answer 21

Left pectoral area and medial aspect of the left upper limb

Question 22

Where can tubes of a bypass machine be inserted?

Answer 22

Transverse pericardial sinus

Question 23

Pericarditis

Answer 23

Inflammation of the pericardium which makes the heart rough and resistant to friction

Question 24

Pericardial effusion

Answer 24

Inflammation of the pericardium that results in fluid accumulation in the pericardial sac that compresses the heart

Question 25

Drainage of blood, fluid, pus from pericardial sac | - done to relieve cardiac tamponade

Answer 25

Pericardiocentesis

Question 26

What is the fibrous skeleton of the heart made of?

Answer 26

Dense collagenous fibers

Question 27

What is the main purpose of the fibrous skeleton of the heart?

Answer 27

Provides an electrically insulated barrier between the atria and the ventricles

Question 28

What serves as an attachment point for the myocardium?

Answer 28

Fibrous skeleton of the heart

Question 29

What separates the superior and inferior mediastinum?

Answer 29

Sternal angle

Question 30

What are the divisions of the inferior mediastinum?

Answer 30

Anterior Middle Posterior

Question 31

In what portion of the mediastinum is the heart?

Answer 31

Inferior middle mediastinum

Question 32

Coronary artery bypass graft is done when?

Answer 32

One or both of the coronary arteries are obstructed and a segment needs to be replaced

Question 33

What is normally used to replace/reroute blood in a coronary artery bypass graft?

Answer 33

Great saphenous vein

Question 34

Coronary angioplasty

Answer 34

Insertion of a small balloon catheter into the lumen of the coronary artery

Question 35

What does a coronary angioplasty do?

Answer 35

Flattens obstruction (plaque) up against artery wall and increases lumen size and thus the blood flow through the artery