Cardiovascular Flashcards
What is CVD
Cardiovascular disease
An umbrella term used to describe all conditions of the heart and blood vessels both congenital diseases and acquired conditions
What is ischaemic heart disease
Generic designation for a group of syndromes resulting from myocardial ischaemia (an imbalance between demand and supply of oxygenated blood to the heart)
Almost always caused by coronary artery atherosclerosis
Sometimes due to hypertrophy (demand)
What are the ischaemic heart disease syndromes
Myocardial infarction (duration and severity of ischaemia causes myocardial death)
Angina pectoris (ischaemia is less severe and does not cause myocardial death)
Chronic IHD with heart failure
Sudden cardiac death
What are the types of angina
Stable angina: typical angina
Prinzmetal angina: variant angina due to vasospasm rather than atherosclerosis
Unstable angina: crescendo angina
Where is the prevalence of IHD highest in the UK
Northern England and Scotland
What are the medical risk factors of IHD
High blood pressure High blood cholesterol (high HDL and low TC:HDL ratio) Diabetes Lifestyle: -smoking -obesity
What is the pathogenesis of IHD
Myocardial ischaemia is a consequence of reduced blood flow in coronary arteries, due to a combination of fixed vessel narrowing and abnormal vascular tone as a result of atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction. This leads to an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand
What is myocardial infarction and what are the types
Death of cardiac muscle from prolonged ischaemia
Transmural vs subendocardial
What are the complications of myocardial infarction
Arrhythmias - either directly or by limited perfusion to the conduction system structures
Congestive cardiac failure - contractility dysfunction or by papillary muscle infarct sever myocardial rupture
Thromboembolism
Pericarditis
Ventricular aneurism
Cardiac tamponade
Cardiogenic shock
What is hypertension
A sustained diastolic pressure greater than 90mm Hg or sustained systolic pressure greater than 140 mm Hg
What causes primary hypertension
Majority unknown cause (90%)
Multifactorial:
-Genetics (insulin resistance- metabolic syndrome)
-Environmental (Obesity, alcohol, smoking, stress, Na+ intake)
How is blood pressure calculated
BP= cardiac output x peripheral resistance
What is malignant hypertension
BP> 180/120mmHg
Clinically signs and symptoms of organ damage
-acute hypertensive encephalopathy
-and/or nephropathy
-with retinal haemorrhages/ papilloedema
Requires urgent treatment to preserve organ function
What are potential hypertension complications
Hypertensive renal disease
Hypertensive cerebrovascular disease
What is systemic (left-sided) hypertensive heart disease
Hypertrophy of the heart is an adaptive response to pressure overload that can lead to myocardial dilation, congestive heart failure and sudden death
Left ventricular concentric hypertrophy
History or pathological evidence for hypertension
What is Cor Pulmonale
Pulmonary (right sided) hypertensive heart disease
Right ventricular hypertrophy, dilation and potentially heart failure secondary to pulmonary artery hypertension caused by disorders of the lung or pulmonary vasculature
Right ventricular hypertrophy secondary to diseases of the left side and congenital causes are generally excluded in the definition; but pulmonary venous hypertension that follows left sided diseases is quite common
What are aneurysms
A localised abnormal dilation of a blood vessel or the wall of the heart
True aneurysm - when bounded by arterial wall components or the attenuated wall of the heart
False aneurysm - (pseudoaneurysm) is a breach in the vascular wall leading to an extravascular haematoma that freely communicates with the intravascular space (pulsating haematoma)
Can rupture
What is an arterial dissection
Arises when blood enters the wall of an artery, as a haematoma dissecting between its layers
Dissections may, but do not always, arise in aneurysmal arteries
Can rupture
What causes aneurysms
Atherosclerosis Cystic medial degeneration Trauma Congenital defects Infections (mycotic aneurysms)
What are risk factors for abdominal aortic aneurysm
Smoking
Male
Hypertension
Advanced age
What is heart failure/congestive cardiac failure
Inability of the heart to pump enough blood needed to meet the metabolic demands of the tissue
Can occur gradually or suddenly:
-Cumulative effects of chronic workload (hypertension and valve diseases) - Insidious
-Acute haemodynamic stress (fluid overload and large myocardial infarction)- sudden
What are the clinical effects of left sided heart failure caused by
Low cardiac output and hypo perfusion of tissues
Pulmonary congestion
How does pulmonary congestion present
Dyspnea Orthopnea PND (paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea) Blood tinged sputum Cyanosis Elevated pulmonary "WEDGE" pressure (PCWP) (nl=2-15mmHg)
How does low cardiac output present
Reduced kidney perfusion:
- Pre-renal azotemia
- Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone activation
- -salt and fluid retention ( expansion of interstitial and intravascular fluid volume
Advanced cardiac failure can lead to cerebral hypoxia - irritability, restlessness, stupor and coma
What are the symptoms and signs of right sided heart failure
Engorgement of systemic and portal venous systems results in:
- Liver and spleen (portal congestion:
- -Passive congestion (nutmeg liver)
- -Congestive splenomegaly
- -Ascites
- -Congestion and oedema of bowel wall
- Pleura/Pericardium (systemic venous congestion)
- -Pleural and pericardial effusions
- -Transudates
- -Oedema of peripheral and dependent parts of body
What causes calcific aortic stenosis
Consequence of age-related wear and tear of either normal valve or congenital bicuspid aortic valve (which undergoes more mechanical stress and so becomes stenotic earlier)
What results from aortic stenosis
2x gradient pressure Left ventricular hypertrophy but no hypertension Ischaemia Angina cardiac decompensation
What is the prognosis for aortic stenosis
50% die in 5 years if angina present
50% die in 2 years if congestive heart failure present
What is acquired aortic stenosis
Calcification of a deformed (congenitally bicuspid) valve
-senile calcification of anatomically normal aortic valve >70 yo
Rheumatic heart disease
What cause acquired mitral stenosis
Rheumatic heart disease
What is rheumatic heart disease
Follows a group A strep infection, a few weeks later Acute: -inflammation -Aschoff bodies -Anitschkow cells -Pancarditis -Vegetations on chordae tendinae at leaflet junction Chronic: -thickened valves -commisural fusion -thick, short chordae tendinae Mitral valves always involved
What is mitral valve prolapse
Myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve
Unknown cause but associated with connective tissue disorders (Marfan syndrome)
Floppy valve
Easily seen on echocardiogram
What are the clinical features of mitral valve prolapse
Usually asymptomatic
Mid-systolic click
Holosystolic murmur if regurgitation present
Occasional chest pain
Dyspnea
97% no untoward effects
3% infective endocarditis, mitral insufficiency, arrhythmias, sudden death
What is mitral annular calcification
Degenerative calcification of the mitral skeleton
Usually no dysfunction
Regurgitation usually but stenosis possible
Arrhythmias and sudden death
Increased risk of infective endocarditis and embolic stork from dislodged overlying thrombi
What are congenital heart defects
Abnormalities of the heart and great vessels present from birth (may not be evident until adult life)
Faulty embryogenesis (week 3-8)
Usually Mono- morphic (single lesion)
1% of births
What environmental factors can result in congenital hear defects
Rubella (congenital rubella syndrome)
Gestational diabetes
Teratogens
What is ASD
Atrial septal defect
Abnormal fixed opening in atrial septum by incomplete tissue formation that allows communication of blood between the left and right atria
Usually asymptomatic until adulthood
Mortality is low following repair
How is ASD classified
According to location
Secundum (90%): defective fossa ovalis (near centre of atrial septum
Primum (5%): adjacent to AV valves, mitral cleft
Sinus venosus (5%): near entrance of SVC with anomalous pulmonary veins draining to SVC or RA
What is ventricular septal defect
Most common CHD defect
only 30% are isolated
Often with tetralogy of fallot
Classified according to size and location
90% involve the membranous septum (membranous VSD)
10% involve the muscular septum or lie below pulmonary valve (infundibular VSD)
If muscular septum is involved, can have multiple holes (Swiss cheese septum)
Small ones often close spontaneously
Large ones progress to pulmonary hypertension
Which defects shunt blood from right to left
Tetralogy of Fallot Transposition of great arteries Truncus arteriosus Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection Tricuspid atresia
What is tetralogy of Fallot
Large VSD
Obstruction of RV outflow tract (subpulmonary stenosis)
Aorta overrides the VSD
RVH
Due to anterosuperior displacement of the infundibular septum during embryogenesis
Survival depends on severity of subpulmonic stenosis
Classical TOF is cyanotic congenital heart disease
What are the types of obstructive CHD
Coarctation of aorta
Pulmonary stenosis/atresia
Aortic stenosis/ atresia
What are the two forms of coarctation of aorta
Infantile form:
- Proximal to PDA
- Shunting of deoxygenated blood via PDA produces cyanosis in lower half of body
- Serious
Adult form:
-Closed ductus
-Typically hypertension in the upper extremities and hypotension and weak pulses in lower extremities and features of arterial insufficiency (claudication and coldness)
Development of collateral circulation between pre-coarctation arterial branches and post-coarctation arteries though enlarged intercostal and internal mammary arteries causing visible erosions (notching) of the undersurface of the ribs
Bicuspid aortic valve 50% of the time
What is peripheral vascular disease
Atherosclerosis of arteries supplying legs or arms leading to the narrowing of the vessel lumen and restriction of blood flow
Who gets peripheral vascular disease
Smokers Obese people Age>40 Family history Men or post menopausal women Those with a PMH: -Diabetes -Hypercholesterolaemia -Hypertension
What is the process of atherosclerosis
Normal artery -> Endothelial disfunction -> Fatty streak formation -> Stable (fibrous) plaque formation -> Unstable plaque formation
How does peripheral vascular disease make a patient ill
Chronic (gradual atherosclerosis) or Acute (plaque rupture or thrombus formation) -> narrows lumen -> Reduced blood flow -> Ischaemia -> Tissue damage/death