Cardiovascular Flashcards
Give 7 risk factors for atherogenesis
- Age
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol (LDLs)`
- Family history
- Obesity
- Hypertension
How does atherogenesis begin
Endothelial damage due to irritants. Attracts monocytes and build up of cholesterol
What are the 4 stages of atherogenesis/atherosclerosis
- Fatty streaks
- Intermediate lesions
- Fibrous plaques
- Plaque rupture
Describe the first part of atherogenesis
Fatty streaks are lipid laden, full of T cells and macrophages
What are 3 stages of the second stage of atherogenesis
Foam cells, smooth muscle proliferation to the intima, and platelet adhesion
What covers the edge of a plaque
Fibrous cap of collagen, elastin and calcium secreted by smooth muscle cells (stimulated by presence of foam cells)
What causes plaque rupture in atherogenesis
Increased inflammation -> rupture and heal over and over, occluding more of the lumen each time -> ischaemia due to reduced blood flow -> angina
What causes MI (at the most basic level)
Imbalance between myocardial oxygen demand and supply
What is the most common cause of MI and give 2 other causes
Coronary artery atheroma
Hypertension and vasculitis
Give non-modifiable risks for myocardial ischaemia (3)
- Family history
- Age
- Gender
Give modifiable risks for myocardial ischaemia (7)
- Obesity
- Hypertension
- High cholesterol diet
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- High saturated fats diet
How is cardiovascular risk estimated and what is the threshold for primary prevention
QRISK3
>10% risk over the next 10 years indicates primary prevention
Def: angina
Crushing chest pain due to myocardial ischaemia
What is the criteria for diagnosing angina
- Central crushing chest pain radiating to jaw/right arm
- Worse on exercise
- Relieved by rest or GTN spray
Must be more than 1 symptom
Levine’s sign
Putting clenched fist over chest to cope with pain
Give 5 variants of angina
- Unstable
- Nocturnal
- Decubitis
- Cardiac syndrome
- Variant angina
4 investigations for suspected angina
- CT coronary angiogram
- Resting ECG
- Exercise ECG
- Stress echocardiography
2 principles of angina management
- Modifiable risk factor management
2. Symptom control
Pharmacological steps for treatment of angina
Control of risk factors: aspirin + clopidogrel + statin
Symptomatic:
- First line - GTN spray and beta blocker/ calcium channel blocker
- Second line - add beta blocker/ calcium channel blocker
- Third line - isosorbide mononitrate/nicorandil
2 interventional measures for uncontrolled angina
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
Common mechanism to all acute coronary syndromes
Rupture of atherosclerotic plaque
Difference between unstable angina, NSTEMI and STEMI
STEMI: ST elevation and raised cardiac markers
NSTEMI: no ST elevation (could be depression) and cardiac markers
Unstable angina: neither change
Clinical features of ACS
Central crushing chest pain at rest radiating to arm/jaw, sweating, cold, clammy, not relieved with GTN spray
Immediate management of suspected ACS (8)
- ECG and bloods - cardiac markers, creatinine, electrolyte, glucose
- GTN/morphine, aspirin and clopidogrel, fondaparinux, tirobifan/abciximab, oxygen