Cardiovascular Flashcards
Symptoms and signs of AAA?
- Epigastric pain
- Radiates to back
- Severe
- Syncope
- Shock
• Grey-Turner’s sign
Investigation for AAA?
- Aortic ultrasound (doesn’t visualise leak)
2. CT contrast to visualise leak
Symptoms and signs for aortic dissection?
- Sudden tearing pain
- Radiation to back, between shoulder blades
- Symptoms of organ hypoperfusion
• Pulsus paradoxus (large decrease in SBP and pulse wave amplitude during inspiration)
Signs for aortic regurgitation?
- Early diastolic murmur
- Collapsing pulse
- Wide pulse pressure
- Displaced and heavy apex beat
Most common cause of aortic stenosis?
Worldwide - rheumatic heart disease
UK - calcification
Symptoms and signs of aortic stenosis?
- Angina
- Syncope
- Heart failure symptoms (dyspnoea/orthopnoea)
- Ejection systolic murmur
- Narrow pulse pressure
- Slow-rising pulse
- Aortic thrill
- Thrusting apex beat
Signs and symptoms of arterial ulcers?
- Punched-out
- Hairless
- Nail dystrophy and absent pulses downstream
- Night pain
- Symptoms of acute limb ischaemia (6 Ps)
Investigation for arterial ulcers?
- Duplex ultrasonography
2. ABPI
What are the causes of AF?
- Thyrotoxicosis
- HTN
- Pneumonia
- Alcohol
- IHD
- Cardiomyopathy
- Pericarditis
- Atrial myxoma
- Bronchial carcinoma
- PE
Management for AF and how do you manage stroke risk (low and high risk)?
Rhythm control if haemodynamically unstable e.g. angina
• < 48 hours (acute) - cardioversion : DC or chemical (flecainide, or amiodarone if IHD)
• > 48 hours (chronic) - anticoagulate with DOAC for 3-4 weeks, then cardioversion
Then rate control
- Bisoprolol or verapamil
- Digoxin or amiodarone
Paroxysmal AF - pill in pocket (flecainide)
Manage stroke risk
• Low risk - aspirin
• High risk - warfarin
What is used to assess the risk of stroke in AF patients? What does each score mean?
CHADS-vasc score
0 - low
1 - moderate
> 1 - high
What are the 8 reversible causes of cardiac arrest?
- Hypokalaemia
- Hypothermia
- Hypovolaemia
- Hypoxia
- Tamponade
- Tension pneumothorax
- Thromboembolic
- Toxins
Management for cardiac arrest (BLS)?
- pre-cordial thump
* 2 rescue breaths, 30 chest compressions
Management for cardiac arrest (ALS)?
Pulseless VT / VF (shockable)
• shock + CPR
• adrenaline
• amiodarone
Pulseless electrical activity / asystole (non-shockable)
• Above, but just adrenaline
Which electrolytes do you measure in AF? When is there a risk of digoxin toxicity?
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Calcium
Risk of digoxin toxicity if potassium/ magnesium is low, or calcium is high
What are the symptoms and signs of left and right cardiac failure?
Left heart
• dyspnoea
• orthopnoea
• paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea
• tachycardia, tachypnoea • displaced apex • bi-basal crackles • S3 gallop • pan-systolic murmur (• acute: + pulsus alternans)
Right heart
• swollen ankles
• fatigue, difficulty exercising
• anorexia, nausea
- raised JVP, kussmaul sign
- hepatomegaly, ascites
- ankle/sacral oedema
- tricuspid regurgitation
What is used to measure pressure in vessels (cardiac failure)?
Swan-Ganz catheter
Investigation for heart failure? What is systolic and diastolic HF?
- BNP
- Best diagnostic - Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) coupled with doppler
• EF < 40% - systolic HF
• EF > 50% - diastolic HF
- ECG
- CXR
Management for acute LV failure?
1. Treat pulmonary oedema • Sit up • 60-100% O2 • IV furosemide • Diamorphine • GTN infusion
- Treat cardiogenic shock (SBP < 90)
• inotropes e.g. dobutamine - Monitor essential stats
Management for chronic LV failure? What should you avoid?
- Lifestyle changes
- ACEi (ARB if contraindicated) + beta blocker + furosemide
- Hydrazaline + isosorbide dinitrate, if 1. contraindicated
- Severe symptoms or EF <35%, consider cardiac resynchronisation
Avoid NSAIDs and non-dihydropiridine CCB
Causes of dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy?
Dilated - alcohol, drugs, post-viral, thyrotoxicosis
Hypertrophic - genetic
Restrictive - amyloidosis, sarcoidosis
Symptoms/presentation of dilated, hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathy?
Dilated - HF symptoms, arrhythmias, FHx sudden death
Hypertrophic - asymptomatic, syncope, FHx sudden death
Restrictive - Kussmaul sign (paradoxical JVP rise), S3
Investigations for cardiomyopathy?
Diagnostic: echo
• CXR
• ECG
Symptoms and signs of constrictive pericarditis?
- Gradual onset
- Advanced - jaundice, cachexia, muscle wasting
- RHF signs e.g. dyspnoea, peripheral oedema, Kussmaul’s sign S3