Cardiology - Coronary Artery Disease Flashcards
What does the L coronary artery divide into
Left Anterior Descending artery (LAD)
Circumflex artery
What does the LAD supply
The anterior wall and part of left ventricle as well as most of inter ventricular septum
What does the circumflex artery supply
Lateral and posterior walls of L ventricle
What does the R coronary artery supply
Right atrium and ventricle
Right dominant circulation
PDA arises from RCA
What does the Posterior Descending Artery (PDA) supply
Inferior wall of L ventricle and part of inter ventricular septum
What % of people have a right dominant circulation
70%
Left dominant circulation
PDA arises from Circumflex artery
What % of people have a L dominant circulation
10%
Co-dominant circulation
PDA arises from both RCA and Circumflex artery
What % of people have a co-dominant circulation
20%
Where does coronary blood flow occur
In diastole
What kind of arteries are coronary Arteries
Functional end - do NOT have effective anastomoses
How does the coronary circulation meet the hearts high oxygen requirements
Stuctural and functional adaptations
Structal adaptation of coronary circulation
Myocardial capillary density is v high
1 capillary per cardiac and skeletal myocyte but cardiac mycoses are smaller –> higher density –> shorter diffusion distance
Functional adaptations of coronary circulation
High basal flow and oxygen extraction
Metabolic hyperaemia
Autoregulation
Increase in basal flow during exercise
10x body’s avg
Increased oxygen extraction during exercise
75% vs 25%
Metabolic hyperaemia during exercise
Coronary arteries dilate in proportion to hum work the heart is doing
Caused by release of metabolites that cause vasodilation
Most important autoregulation response of heart
Myogenic response - stretch in vessel –> dilation
Cardiac output (CO)
Volume of blood ejected by 1 ventricle in 1 minute
Stroke volume (SV)
Volume of blood ejected from ventricles in systole
Eqn for CO
CO = SV x HR
Where is the majority of the bloods distribution
65% are stored in veins - acts as reservoir, can ‘top up’ heart after haemorrhage
Why does the amount of blood in capacitance vessels vary
These vessels are thin walled and are easily distended/ collapsed
Supplied by sympathetic nerves that can cause constriction
Main factors determining SV
Energy of contraction of vessels
BP in aorta
These oppose ventricular ejection
What is the energy of contraction of vessels regulated by
Ventricular filling pressure
Myocardial contractility
When these increase as does energy of contraction
How does change in aortic pressure affect SV
Rise in aortic pressure causes SV to fall
What is preload in the heart
Amount of stretch of the ventricular muscle fibres just before they contract at the end of distale
What are good makers of preload
End Diastolic Volume
End Diastolic pressure
What is Central Venous Pressure
Pressure in the vena cava at the entrance to R atrium
What can CVP be used as an estimate of
RV End Diastole Pressure ie. RV preload
How does distending the heart affect SV
Increases it
Stretching myocytes during diastole increases energy of contraction during systole
What is the energy of contraction proportional to
Muscle fibre length at rest
What is CVP governed by
Volume of blood in circulation and by how the blood is distributed between central and peripheral veins
What happens when CVP falls
RVEDP (preload) is reduced –> RV output is reduced –> less blood flows to L heart –> LV SV is reduced
Factors influencing CVP
Gravity (decreases)
Soleal pump (increases)
Vasoconstriction by sympathetic nerves (increased)
Pumping ability of heart
How does the pumping ability of heart affect CVP
Faster –> drop in CV if no compensatory mechanisms
Slower (e.g. in heart failure and MI) –> CVP rises
Frank Starling mechanism (Law of the Heart)
The greater the preload
The greater the force of contraction
The greater the SV
Why is Starling’s law important
Balancing output of RV and LV
Contributes to increased SV during exercise
Causes fall in CO during haemorrhage and ‘shock’
Causes fall in CO during standing –> postural hypotension
Helps restore CO in response to IV fluid
Contractility definition
Force of contraction which is independent of initial fibre length
What can reduced contractility lead to
Heart failure
Afterload
Resistance heart has to overcome to eject its contents
Afterload and SV
Increased afterload leads to reduced in SV
‘Pump function curve’
High arterial pressure (e.g. by giving vasoconstrictor drug) impairs output (lowers SV)
What is HR controlled by
Sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves which innervate SAN and AVN
How does increase in sympathetic activity affect HR
Increase - tachycardia
How does increase in parasympathetic activity affect HR
Bradycardia
Demands of CVS during exercise
Increase lung oxygen uptake
Increase oxygen transport around body
Direct increased oxygen specifically to exercising muscle
Stabilisation of BP
How is lung oxygen uptake increased during exercise
Increase in RV output
How is oxygen transport around body increased during exercise
Decreased LV output
How is increased oxygen supply directed specifically to exercising muscle
Increase in oxygen extraction from blood
Decrease in vascular resistance in exercising metabolism
How is BP stabilised during exercise
Vasoconstriction in non-exercising tissues
Baroreflex rest
Baroreflex reset
Prevents HR from falling
Baroreceptors have an increased threshold
How does CO increase during exercise
Increase in SV
Increase in HR
How is SV increased in exercise
Increased preload - skeletal muscle pump, peripheral vasoconstriction
Increased contractility causing faster ejection and a decrease in end-systolic volume
How is HR increased during exercise
Increase in cardiac sympathetic activity
Decrease in vagal parasympathetic activity
Maximum HR during exercise
220 - age in yrs
Threat of hypotension during exercise
BP = CO x SVR
Reduced SVR could cause BP to drop but compensatory vasoconstriction in active tissue attenuates fall
SVR
Systemic vascular resistance
Same as TPR
What kind of exercise causes SV to be high at rest
Supine
The athletic heart vs non-athletic heart
Stronger and hypertrophied
Increased SV
Decreased resting HR
CO can be much higher during exercise
How do heart transplant pts increase CO with exercise
Transplanted heart is denervated (no cardiac autonomic nerves)
Circulating catecholamines increase HR and skeletal muscle pump increased preload
What is the cardiac cycle about
Heart contraction/ relaxation
Rship between electrical activity and contraction of heart
Changes in volume of blood related to pressure
Essentials for normal cardiac function
Intact myocardium and mechanics
Substrate to pump around (blood)
Own fuel supply
Electrical activity
Stages in Systole
Atrial contraction
Isovolumic contraction
Rapid ejection
End systole
What is seen in atrial contraction - systole
P wave on ECG
1st half from R atrium and 2nd half from L atrium
Isovolumic contraction - systole
No change in volume but changes in pressure of blood in atria
Whats seen on ECG during isovolumic contraction - systole
Causes QRS complex - depolarisation of ventricles
What’s heard during isovolumic contraction - systole
1st heart sound
Mitral valve closes first then tricuspid
Whats seen on ECG during rapid ejection - systole
ST segment
End systole - systole
Pressure starts to drop
Aortic and pulmonic valves close
What’s seen in ECG during end systole
T wave - depolarisation of ventricles
Isovolumic relaxation - diastole
Heart is relaxed and the valves are closed
What is heard during isovolumic relaxation - diastole
2nd heart sound
Closing of aortic valve then pulmonic
How can the second heart sound be split
During expiration - S2 is single
During inspiration can be split into A2 and P2 as inspiration sucks into R heart and R heart takes longer to pump out increased volume
Stages in diastole
Isovolumic relaxation
Rapid ventricular filling
Reduced ventricular filling
Rapid ventricular filling - diastole
Blood flows passively from ventricles to atria
What may be heard during rapid ventricular filling - diastole
3rd heart sound
Could be caused by heart failure - ventricle is too stiff
Clicks during cardiac cycle
Ejection click at the end of diastole
Mid systolic click
Opening snap in mitral stenosis at beginning of systole
Ejection systolic murmur
Between S1 and S2 - rises and falls
Aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, aortic or pulmonary flow murmurs
Pansystolic murmur
Steady murmur between S1 and S2
Mitral regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation, ventricular septal defect
Late systolic murmur
Between mid-systolic click and S2
Mitral valve prolapse
Early diastolic murmur
After S2 - falls
Aortic or pulmonary regurgitation
Mild diastolic murmur
Starts at opening click and continues to S1
Mitral stenosis, tricuspid stenosis, mitral or tricuspid flow murmurs
How is CO, MAP & SVR related
CO = MAP/ SVR
What does AF limit during exercise
Expected increase in ventricular SV and CO
Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy
Delivers regular signals to pace L ventricle
When do we see the basement membrane
In vessels larger than 1mm
What does the endothelium determine
When and where the WBC leave circulation
What does the endothelium secrete
Paracrine factors for vessel dilation, constriction and growth of adjacent cells
Vasa vasorum
“Vessels of the vessels”
Have arterioles, capillaries and venules that branch profusely in the adventitia and the outer media to provide metabolites
When do we see the vasa vasorum
Adventitia and outer media in larger vessels too thick to recieve nutrients via diffusion
Adaptations of larger elastic/ conducting arteries
Large lumen
Elastic recoil
Several elastic laminae
Function of large lumen in elastic arteries
Allows low-resistance conduction of blood and acts as conduits
Function of elastic recoil in large elastic arteries
Absorb impulse of cardiac systole
Maintains blood flow in diastole
Function of elastic laminae in large elastic arteries
Making blood flux more uniform
Muscular vs conducting arteries
Thicker tunica media
Narrower lumen
Thickened elastic lamina
More smooth muscle and less elastin in tunica media
How many layers of circularly arranged smooth muscle are there in arteries
3-8 layers in small arteries
1-2 in arterioles
What are arterioles main control points for
Regulation of physiological resistance to blood flow
Pressure and velocity sharply reduced –> steady flow vs pulsatile
What is present in large arterioles but absent in terminal arterioles
Thin, fenestrated internal elastic lamina
Types of capillaries
Continuous capillaries
Fenestrated capillaries
Discontinuous capillaries
Where are continuous capillaries found
Muscle
Lungs
CNS
Where are fenestrated capillaries found
Endocrine glands, sites of metabolic and fluid absorption
e.g. gallbladder, kidney, and intestinal tract
Where are discontinuous capillaries (sinusoidal capillaries) found
Liver
Spleen
Bone marrow
Continuous capillaries
Have tight junctions that completely surround endothelium
Intercellular clefts of un-joined membranes; allows passage of fluids
Fenestrated capillaries features
Endothelium with fenestrations
Greater permeability to solutes and fluid than other capillaries
Sinusoidal capillaries
Highly modifiable, leaky, fenestrated capillaries with larger lumen
Discontinuous basal lamina
Allows larger molecules (proteins and blood cells) to pass between the blood and surrounding tissues
What do post capillary venues participate in
Exchanges between the blood and tissues - 1’ site fo WBC leaving
Characteristic feature of venules
Large diameter of lumen compared to overall thickness
Where do valves project from
Tunica intima
What hormone does the heart release
Atrial naturietic factor
3 tunics of heart
Internal - endocardium
Middle - myocardium
External - pericardium
Central fibrous skeleton of heart
Base of heart valves
Site of origin and insertion of the cardiac muscles
Electrical insulation between atria & ventricles
Separates atria and ventricles
Subendocardial layer of heart
Layer of connective tissue connecting endothelial layer to myocardium
Contains veins, nerves, branches of the Purkinje cells
Thickest heart tunic
Myocardium
Subepicardial layer
External to myocardium
Loose connective tissue containing veins, nerves and nerve ganglia and adipose tissue that surround the heart
What is the epicardium composed of
Superficial mesothelial lining supported by connective tissue
Composition of pericardial sac
Fibrous outer skeleton attached to diaphragm
Parietal pericardium
Visceral pericardium
What is found in between the layers of the pericardium
Small amount of fluid facilitating the heart movements
Cardiac conduction pathway
SAN AVN Bundle of His L and R bundle branches Purkinje fibres
What does coordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle depend on
Propagation of electrical impulses
How are electrical impulses in heart propagated
Specialised excitatory and conducting myocytes
These also regulate HR and rhythm
Where is the SA node located
Junction of R atrium appendage and superior vena cava
Fibrous skeleton nd heart conduction
Ensures impulses aren’t spread randomly so all chambers don’t beat at same time
AVN location
In R atrium along atrial septum
Why is the AVN described as a gatekeeper
Delays transmission of signals from atria to ventricles
Ensures atrial contraction preceded ventricular contraction
Where is the Bundle of His found
From R atrium to summit of ventricular septum
Forms Purkinje network
Where does the lymphatic vascular start
Lymphatic capillaries
Closed ended tubules that anastomose to form vessels of steadily increasing size
Where does the lymphatic vascular system terminate
Terminate in blood vascular system emptying into large veins near the heart
Arteriosclerosis
Hardening of arteries - arterial wall thickening and loss of elasticity
Where does arteriosclerosis occur
Occurs in small arteries and arterioles and causes downstream ischaemic injury
Monckeberg medial sclerosis
Calcific deposits within walls of muscular arteries
May undergo metaplastic change into bone
How can atherosclerosis cause aneurysm formation
Mechanical obstruct blood flow and can weaken underlying media
What happens when atherosclerosis is complicated by occlusive thrombosis
Causes sudden death
MI
Stroke
a/c ischaemia of legs and abdominal organs
Major targets of atherosclerosis
Large elastic arteries (aorta, carotid and iliac arteries)
Medium sized muscular arteries (coronary and popliteal arteries)
Constitutional risk factors of atherosclerosis
Increasing age
Male
Genetic abnormalities
Fhx
Modifiable risk factors
Hyperlipidaemia HTN DM Smoking Infl (CRP)
Causes of c/c endothelial injury
Hyperlipidaemia HTN Smoking Homocystinuria Haemodynamic factors Toxins Viruses Immune reactions