Cardiovascular Flashcards
Key lab findings with cholesterol emboli
Eosinophilia, eosinophiluria, and low complement
Skin findings in cholesterol emboli
- Livedo reticularis (reticulated, mottled, discolored skin due to swollen venules from capillary obstruction)
- Blue toe syndrome
Internal organ damage in chiolesterol emboli
- Acute kidney injury
- Pancreatitis
- Mesenteric ischemia
- Embolic stroke, amaurasis fugax
3 potential triggers of vasovagal syncope
Stress, pain, or urination
What, if any, are the warning signs of:
- Syncope 2/2 arrhythmia
- Syncope 2/2/ orthostatic hypotension
- Vasovagal syncope
- Arrhythmia: no warning
- Orthostatic hypotension: lightheadedness when standing up
- VasovagaL; nausea, diaphoresis, pallor in response to stress, pain, or urination
What can be done to abort a vasovagal syncope episode when a person starts feeling nauseous, sweaty, and pale?
Physical counterpressure measures (PCM: squatting, arm-tensing, leg-crossing, and leg-crossing with lower body muscle tensing)
Treatment of primary Raynaud’s syndrome? Secondary?
Primary: Trigger avoidance and CCBs if necessary
Scondary: The same, plus aspirin to patients at risk for digital ischemia
Difference between primary and secondary Raynaud’s in terms of:
- Demographics
- Symmetry
- Risk of tissue injury
Demographics: Primary is younger women (<30), secondary is more older men (>40)
Symmetry: Primary is symmetric, secondary may be asymmetric
Risk of tissue injury and ulceration: only in secondary
Causes of secondary Raynaud’s syndrome (6)
- Connective tissue disease (lupus, scleroderma)
- Occlusive vascular disease
- Hyperviscosity syndromes
- Sympathomimetic drugs
- Birth control pills
- Smoking
An ICU patient on pressures has necrosis of distal fingers and toes. Likely cause?
Norepinephrine-induced vasospasm (can also caused mesenteric ischemia and AKI)
Most common location of cardiac myxoma?
Potential hemodynamic consequence?
Murmur?
Mostly in LA.
Can mimic mitral stenosis by blocking LA outflow, may lead to HF
Early diastolic mumor - “tumor plop”
Complications of cardiac myxoma (3)
- LA outflow obstruction and heart failure
- Invasion leading to arrhythmias or heart block (or effusion)
- Emboli (e.g. stroke)
Murmurs that get louder with standing and valsalva and quieter when squatting
HOCM and MV prolapse
Enlarged “water bottle” cardiac silhouette on CXR
Pericardial effusion (may follow URI)
Signs of pericardial effusion on EKG
- Electrical alternans (in voltage amplitude)
2. Low-voltage QRS complexes
Clinical signs of cardiac tamponade
Beck’s triad: hypotension, elevated JVP, muffled/distant heart sounds
Pulsus paradoxus may also be seen (also seen in constrictive pericarditis, sever asthma/COPD)
What may be seen on CXR in constrictive pericarditis?
Pericardial calcifications
Heart sounds in constrictive pericarditis
Pericardial friction rub: high-pitched grating/squeking sound during systole (most common), diastole, or both
Pericardial knock: high-frequency mid-diastolic sound (due to abrupt cessation of diastolic filling)
JVP increases or stays the same with inspiration. Cause?
Kussmaul’s sign due to constrictive pericarditis
(Normally JVP decreases during inspiration due to blood being drawn into the chest and heart, but here it cannot take the extra volume)
Sharp x and y descents on central venous tracing. Cause?
Constrictive pericarditis
Sharp X descent (systole): RA cannot relax fully because of pericarditis
Sharp Y descent (diastole): RV filling is limited
Causes of constrictive pericarditis (4)
- Idiopathic
- Viral
- Tuberculosis
- Iatrogenic (radiation or heart surgery)
Pain of acute pericarditis
Sharp, pleuritic, and relieved by leaning forward
EKG in acute pericarditis
Diffuse ST elevation and PR depression
First-line treatment for acute pericarditis?
Alternative?
First-line: NSAIDs
Alternative: Colchicine
Treatment for Dressler’s syndrome (post-MI autoimmune pericarditis)
High-dose aspirin
Type of pericarditis that does not affect the myocardium
Uremic pericarditis (no EKG changes)
Treatment for uremic pericarditis
Hemodialysis
Most common predisposing valvular anomaly leading to endocarditis
Mitral valve prolapse (often with MV regurgitation)
Immunologic phenomena in bacterial endocarditis
- Osler nodes (painful fingertip nodules)
- Roth spots (retinal hemorrhage with pale centers)
- Glomerulonephritis
- Rheumatoid factor
(Janeway lesions, splinter hemorrhages, etc are embolic)
Embolic phenomena in bacterial endocarditis
- Septic emboli to brain (stroke), fingers (gangrene),e tc
- Renal or splenic infarcts
- Splinter hemorrhages
- Janeway lesions (painless)
- Conjunctival hemorrahge
(Osler nodes, Roth spots, and glomerulonephritis are immunoloigic)
Difference between Osler’s nodes and Janeway lesions
Osler’s nodes: painful and palpable (on fingertips, immune mediated)
Janeway lesions: painless
What can cause AV block in bacterial endocarditis?
Perivalvular abscess
Effect of inspiration on right-sided murmurs
Increased
Clinical triad of splenic abscess in endocarditis
Fever, leukocytosis, LUQ pain
Modified Duke criteria for bacterial endocarditis
Definite: both major or one major and 3 minor
Possible: one major and one minor or 3 minor
Major:
1. Blood cx with typical organism
2. Valvular vegetation
Minor (6): Predisposing cardiac lesion, IV drug use, fever, embolic phenomena, immunologic phenomena, atypical blood cx organism.
Subacute endocarditis associated with dental procedure or respiratory tract infection
- Strep viridans: mostly S. mutans and S. anguis (others are S. mitis and S. oralis)
- Less commonly, Eikenella corrodens (one of the HACEK)
Endocarditis associated with IBD and colon cancer
Strep gallolyticus (formerly named Strep bovis)
Endocarditis associated with prosthetic valves, implanted devices, and intravascular catheters
Staph epi
Endocarditis associated with nosocomial UTIs
Enterococcus
Right-sided endocarditis associated with IV drug use
Empiric therapy?
Staph aureus most commonly (can also be strep or enterococci)
Empirically treat with vancomycin
Medication for hyperlipidemia that leads to flushing and itching?
What can be given to help?
Niacin
Can give aspirin to reduce flushing (flushing is prostaglandin mediated)
Who should be on a statin?
- All diabetics 40-75
- Hyperlipidemia (e.g. LDL >190)
- Clinically significant atherosclerotic disease (ACS/MI, angina, stroke/TIA, PAD)
- ASCVD risk 7.5% or more
RA and PCWP in cardiogenic shock? Hypovolemic shock? Anaphylactic shock? Tension pneumothorax? Massive PE?
Cardiogenic: Both elevated
Hypovolemic: Both decreased
Anapylactic/septic: Both normal or decreased
Tension pneumothorax: both decreased (decreased venous return)
Massive PE: high RA, decreased PCWP
A ventilated patient has decreased CO and low RA pressure - potential cause?
Pneumothorax due to barotrauma on PEEP (high pressure leads to elevated intrathoracic pressure, kinda like a tension pneumothorax)