Cardiovascular Flashcards
Symptoms in Systemic Enquiry
- CHEST DISCOMFORT/ PAIN
- BREATHLESSNESS
- Ankle swelling
- Dizziness (faintness, SYNCOPE)
- Fatigue
- Claudication
- PALPITATION
Describe factors within chest discomfort
- Site and radiation
- Severity and character
- Duration and periodicity
- Aggravating and relieving factors
- Location
- Associated symptoms
- Relation to exercise/ meals/ posture/ movement/ emotion
Describe breathlessness
- On exertion
- Orthopnoea
- Paroxysmal nocturnal; dyspnoea
What do we look for in a general examination?
- Build, demeanour
- Face: central cyanosis, xanthelasma, corneal arcus
- Hands: tobacco staining, clubbing, pallor, signs of endocarditis
Describe pulses
-Radial pulse =Rate and rhythm =Volume -Both radial synchronous -Radial and femoral synchronous -Blood pressure -Jugular venous pulse (JVP)
What would you inspect?
-• inspection praecordium: scars, pulsations • heart apex site (character) heaves/thrills heart sounds heart murmurs (presence or absence, radiation) carotid bruit • lung bases • oedema (ankle, tibial, sacral) • aortic aneurysm
Describe the peripheral circulation information
- inspection for ulcers/ hair loss /varicosities /scars /colour
- temperature
- perfusion & capillary return, colour
Where are the pulses?
- Radial
- Brachial
- Carotid
- Femoral
- Popliteal
- Dorsalis pedis
- Posterior tibial
What is disability?
Reduced effort tolerance
What is handicap?
Unable to work, look after relatives
What are causes of chest discomfort?
- Ischaemic (angina)
- Pleuritic (pneumonia/ PE)
- Musculoskeletal
- GI (oesophagitis)
- Anxiety
What is breathlessness a distinguishing of?
- Heart failure= typical age, associated symptoms, postural nature, relevant PMH
- Asthma= typical age, diurnal pattern, precipitants, wheeze, PMH
- Low cardiac output (valve disease, congenital defects)
What are the four main mechanisms of blackouts?
- Cardiac syncope
- Neurocardiogenic syncope
- Postural hypotension
- Seizures
Describe Cardiac syncope
-Pattern: =Little/ no warning =Sudden LOC, usually for seconds only =Rapid recovery -Causes: =Extreme bradycardia or tachycardia =Mechanical obstruction (aortic stenosis)
Describe neurocardiogenic syncope
-Pattern:
=Seconds to minutes warning, light headed, warm, flushed
=Sometimes gradual or incomplete LOC, 2-3 minutes
=5-10 minutes recovery, sweating, dizzy
-Causes
=Vasovagal syncope
=Hypersensitive carotid sinus syndrome
Describe postural hypotension
-Pattern: =Episodes triggered by sudden change in posture =Sometimes incomplete LOC, seconds only =Rapid recovery on sitting/ lying, dizzy =Not confused -Causes =Increasing age, diabetes, Parkinson's disease =Vasoactive drugs, diuretics
Describe Seizures
-Pattern
=Prodromal aura/ altered consciousness
=Classically rigidity followed by clonic seizure but not all seizures follow this pattern
=Tongue biting and incontinence may occur
=Slow recovery, confusion, transient neurological symptoms
-Causes
=Primary epilepsy
=Mass lesions, stroke
What to inspect in the head and the neck?
- Eyes= jaundice, high cholesterol
- Mouth= central cyanosis
- Conjunctivae= clinical anaemia
What is examined in the abdomen/ lower limbs?
- Hepatomegaly, abdominal distension (ascites)
- Venous system= varicose veins, venous pigmentation, ulcers
- Arterial system= lower limb pulses, lower limb perfusion, ischaemic toes
- Oedema= pitting and non-pitting, check sacral pad
Describe coronary heart disease
- Acute myocardial infarction is caused by necrosis of myocardial tissue due to ischaemia,
usually due to blockage of a coronary artery by a thrombus
-The new criteria for diagnosing myocardial infarction are detection of rise and/or fall of cardiac
biomarkers (preferably troponin) with at least one of 5 criteria including symptoms of ischaemia
and ST changes
What are the modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis?
-Smoking
-Diabetes mellitus (and impaired
glucose tolerance)
-Metabolic syndrome
-Hypertension
-Hyperlipidaemia
-Obesity
-Physical
inactivity
What are the symptoms and signs of myocardial infarction?
- Characteristic central or epigastric chest pain radiating to arms, shoulders, neck or jaw
- Substernal pressure, squeezing, aching, burning, sharp pain
- Sweating, nausea, vomiting, dyspnoea, fatigue, palpitations
- Low-grade fever, pale and cool, clammy skin
What are the investigations for myocardial infarction?
- Bloods= FBC, UEs, CRP, lipids, troponin
- ECGs (serial and continuous)
- CXR= assess heart size, heart failure and pulmonary oedema
- Pulse oximetry and blood gases for oxygen saturation
- Cardiac catheterisation and angiography
- Echocardiography= extent of infarction, ventricular function, acute mitral regurgitation, left ventricular rupture, pericardial effusion
- Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
What is the pre-hospital treatment for MI?
-Pain relief with GTN sublingual/spray and/or an intravenous opioid 2.5-5 mg diamorphine or 5-
10 mg morphine intravenously with an antiemetic
• Aspirin 300 mg orally
• IV access/ pre hospital thrombolysis more common in more rural setting
What is the in hospital treatment for MI?
-Patency of the occluded artery can be restored by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or by
giving a thrombolytic drug. PCI is the preferred method.
• Long-term low-dose aspirin reduces overall mortality, non-fatal re-infarction, non-fatal stroke and
vascular death.
•Clopidogrel, in combination with low-dose aspirin, is recommended for AMI with ST-segment
elevation.
•Beta-blockers:When started within hours of infarction, beta-blockers reduce mortality, non-fatal
cardiac arrest and non-fatal re-infarction
•Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors:These reduce mortality whether or not patients have
clinical heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction. They also reduce the risk of non-fatal heart failure.
•Cholesterol-lowering agents: Ideally, initiate therapy with a statin as soon as possible for all patients
with evidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) unless contra-indicated
What needs to be considered post MI?
- Driving
- Employment
- Depression
- Cardiac Rehab
What is heart failure?
Heart failure is a clinical syndrome resulting in a reduced cardiac output and/or elevated intracardiac
pressures
The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the percentage of the blood in the left ventricle
which is pumped out with each heartbeat
What are the signs and symptoms of heart failure?
-Tachycardia at rest, low systolic blood pressure (BP), a displaced apex (LV dilatation) or RV heave
(pulmonary hypertension), a narrow pulse pressure or pulsus alternans (alternating large and small
pulse pressures) and a raised JVP.
•There may be a gallop rhythm due to presence of or murmurs of mitral or aortic valve disease.
•Bilateral basal end-inspiratory crackles ± wheeze (‘cardiac asthma’).
•Tachypnoea.
•Pleural effusions.
•Tender hepatomegaly with ascites.
•Often extensive peripheral oedema. There may be swollen ankles, sacral oedema or ascites
What investigations are used in heart failure?
NT-proBNP •ECG •Echo •Bloods •CXR •Consider staging: NYHA I-IV
How do we manage heart failure?
•Prognosis is poor on the whole, with approximately 50% of people with heart failure dying
within five years of diagnosis
•Community-based heart failure nurses provide an important adjunct to self-care, as well as a
bridge to secondary care.
•Smoking, diet, fluid intake, alcohol, exercise
•Drugs: diuretics, ACE-I, b-blocker, morphine (end stage)
•Palliative care