Cardiovascular, Blood, Infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Red Flags Flashcards
What are the infective inflammatory conditions of the heart?
Endocarditis: Inflammation of heart valves due to infection by bacteria or fungi
Myocarditis: Inflammation of heart muscle due to many causes but most commonly viral attack
Pericarditis: Inflammation of pericardium due to many causes but commonly bacterial infection
What are the clinical signs and symptoms of myocarditis?
May develop along with cold/chest infection
Symptoms include fever, fatigue, chest pain, arrhythmias AND Joint pain and swelling (leg swelling common)
What are the clinical signs and symptoms of pericarditis?
Inner surfaces of pericardium become adhesive and can be auscultated as a rub
Oedema often results leading to fluid build up around heart (Tamponade)
Often associated with auto-immune conditions such as lupus AND rheumatoid arthritis
What are the pathophysiology and clinical signs and symptoms of endocarditis?
Vegetations (clumps of bacteria and cells) form on the heart valves – may cause valve destruction, regurgitation or obstruction.
Bacteria may gain entry from dental or medical procedure, respiratory infection, urinary tract infection or fracture
Signs and symptoms:
Fever/chills/ night sweats/excessive sweating
Fatigue & Shortness of breath with activity
Heart murmur
Joint pain/muscle aches and pains
Nail abnormalities (splinter hemorrhages under the nails)
Red, painless skin spots on the palms and soles (Janeway lesions)
Red, painful nodes in the pads of fingers/toes (Osler’s nodes)
Abnormal urine color & blood in the urine
Paleness
Swelling of feet, legs, abdomen
Weakness
Weight loss
What are arrhythmias?
If synchronization of cardiac muscle contraction is disrupted uncoordinated contraction known as fibrillation can result.
This may be a group of symptoms referred to as “palpitations”
Clinically these uncoordinated contractions are known as arrhythmias, a large and heterogeneous group of conditions in which there is abnormal electrical activity in the heart
Varied causes, classification by:
rate (normal, tachycardia, bradycardia)
mechanism (automaticity, re-entry, fibrillation)
site of origin (e.g., atrial or supraventricular)
What are the three types of arrhythmias?
Atrial fibrillation -very rapid, irregular twitching in the atrium, when the ventricular heart rate is not too fast
Atrial flutter - rapid but regular contractions in the atrium, when the ventricular heart rate is not too fast
Ventricular fibrillation - uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles in the heart. As a result, the heart fails to adequately pump blood; hypoxia soon occurs, followed by unconsciousness within twenty to thirty seconds.
What are the signs and symptoms of arrhythmias?
Palpitations - described by patients as pounding, or fluttering sensations felt in the chest or neck
skipping beats - changes in the pattern of the pulse
Fainting, light-headedness, dizziness
Chest pain
Shortness of breath (dyspnoea)
Paleness
Sweating
Cardiac arrest
ALWAYS REMEMBER that the patient may not have symptoms!
What are the causes of arrhythmias?
Causes can be benign, such as: Caffeine, exercise or stress idiopathic or physiological hyperthyroidism drug side effect Causes can also be serious: Coronary artery disease Cardiomyopathy Complete heart block Aneurysm Valvular disease Immediate referral is indicated in prolonged palpitations, family Hx of sudden death of cardiac origin, or existing cardiac pathology
What is heart failure?
Congestive heart failure (CHF), congestive cardiac failure (CCF) or just heart failure, is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood through the body
Heart muscle disease
Ischaemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy
Restricted filling
Constrictive pericarditis, tamponade, restrictive cardiomyopathy
Inadequate heart rate
Heart block, post infarction, β-blockers
Effect of drugs that alter the force of contraction (inotropes) – Ca channel blockers
Chronic excessive after load - aortic valve stenosis or hypertension
What is left sided heart failure?
The left side of the heart pumps blood from the lungs to the organs
L side failure/congestion of the pulmonary vasculature (veins) and symptoms that reflect this AND reduced supply of blood to the tissues
Dyspnoea, possibly at rest; tachypnoea
Easy fatigueability
Orthopnea - increasing breathlessness on reclining, often measured in the number of pillows required to lie comfortably
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea - a night time attack of severe breathlessness, usually several hours after going to sleep
Poor circulation to the body leads to dizziness, confusion and diaphoresis and cool extremities at rest; cyanosis
What is right sided heart failure?
The right side of the heart pumps blood returned from the tissues to the lungs to exchange CO2 for O2.
R side failure: congestion of peripheral tissues
This may lead to:
increased jugular venous pressure
peripheral edema or anasarca and nocturia (frequent nighttime urination when the fluid from the legs is returned to the bloodstream).
in more severe cases, ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity) and hepatomegaly (painful enlargement of the liver) may develop
Right-side failure – cor pulmonale is due to chronic pulmonary hypertension – oedema secondary to pulmonary disease, pulmonary vascular disorders
What are signs of heart failure?
General signs indicating heart failure are a laterally displaced apex beat (as the heart is enlarged) and a gallop rhythm
Heart murmurs may indicate the presence of valvular heart disease, either as a cause (e.g. aortic stenosis) or as a result (e.g. mitral regurgitation) of the heart failure.
What is valve disease caused by?
Disease, e.g., calcification, RA, SLE
Congenital deformity
Infection e.g., rheumatic fever
What are the 3 types of valve deformity classifications?
3 types of valve deformity classifications
Stenosis - narrowing
Insufficiency – doesn’t close properly
Prolapse
What are the two main problems in heart and valve failure?
Valves that don’t shut properly, causing regurgitation of blood back across the valve in the wrong direction (for example, from the aorta back into the heart)
Valves that won’t open properly, known as stenosis of the valve, which means blood flow through the valve is limited. For example a condition known as called mitral valve prolapse, or floppy valve syndrome.
One of the cusps on the valve flips back the wrong way, making a characteristic clicking sound and a murmur. It’s now thought that as many as two per cent of adults have this syndrome and is considered a variation of normal and not a disease at all.
What is mitral valve failure?
10% of population have a variation in the connective tissue of the mitral valve leaflets that predisposes to prolapse
This protrusion of the leaflet can be heard as a click during ventricular systole
A murmur, produced when blood regurgitates back through the valve may also be present – effectively pressurises the pulmonary circuit
Frequently associated with an ANS imbalance, called dysautonomia
Thus linked with other conditions like Fibromyalgia
Symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain, mild depression, anxiety, panic attacks and also, Migraine
What is hole in the heart?
About 1 in 100 people have a congenital heart defect
Defects include septal defects, shunts between the great vessels and congential stenosis of pulmonary, aortic or tricuspid valves
Usually require surgical correction
Undiagnosed they form the most common cause of sudden death during sport
Often can place the heart under long term stress, triggering other problems and adaptations
An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the heart between the upper chambers (atria). The hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs. The condition is present at birth (congenital heart defect). Small atrial septal defects might be found by chance and never cause a concern.
What is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?
Sudden Death Syndrome - unexpected and unexplained death occurring in apparently healthy young people e.g., while on rugby field or football field (Fabrice Muamba)
diagnosis by family history of sudden death
muscle becomes excessively thick and the fibres are arranged haphazardly making the heart vulnerable to some dangerous and potentially fatal heart rhythms (ventricular fibrillation / ventricular tachycardia).
In 25% there is left ventricle outlet obstruction from asymmetrical septal hypertrophy
Autosomal dominant inheritance
What is coronary artery disease?
The heart pumps blood to itself first directly at the junction of the aorta
The resting heart extracts 75% of the oxygen so the only way to increase supply is to increase flow
This is achieved by adenosine that is released as the oxygen content of the blood falls and adrenaline and noradrenalin
All of these factors dilate the coronary arteries
reduced pumping occurs if the oxygen supply is restricted (although myoglobin does provide a limited source of oxygen)
CAD is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries, causing a narrowing of the lumen.
Increased likelihood that blood clots (thrombus formation) will form in arteries, partially or completely blocking blood flow
Thrombus can break free forming an Embolus
What are signs and symptoms of coronary artery disease?
Signs & Symptoms
Angina
Referred pain
What is the mechanism?
Heart attack/myocardial infarction (MI)
blood flow to an area of heart muscle is completely blocked causing cell death, permanent impairment or death.
What would be the complications of a heart attack if the patient survives?
What are the two types of angina?
Angina
The main symptom of angina is a dull, heavy or tight pain in the chest that can sometimes spread to the left arm, neck, jaw or back. The pain is usually triggered by physical activity or stress and usually only lasts for a few minutes.
Two types occur;
Stable – where symptoms develop gradually over time and appear at times of stress/load. They quickly disappear especially with GTN spray
Unstable – Symptoms develop rapidly and persist, often resistant to GTN. A medical emergency
What is atherosclerosis?
Atherosclerosis (Atheroma)
Athera meaning porridge
the nodular accumulation of a soft, flaky, yellowish material at the center of large plaques
Disease of the large and medium sized arteries characterized by fibrosis, lipid deposition and chronic inflammatory response
Atheroma, when combined with hypertension can cause aneurisms, which can then burst, causing a bleed. This is a major cause of strokes.
Risk factors: smoking, obesity, dietary, hypertension, low socio-economic status
What is arteriosclerosis?
Arteriosclerosis
Arterio meaning artery
Age related changes to the muscular vessel wall
Loss of strength and elasticity (hardening of artery)
Evident after 40
Physiological changes in the intima, replacement of the muscle and elastin with collagen
Where does atherosclerosis usually occur?
Affects medium and large arteries especially of heart, brain and kidneys
Plaques often occur in:
areas of turbulent flow particularly in hypertension e.g., branch points
situations where there is a continuous inflammatory stress as a result of chemical abnormalities or some infections
Is the leading cause of death in the developed countries (2 x cancer)