Cardiovascular Diseases

Question 1

What happens during heart failure?

Answer 1

Blood returning to the heart cannot be pumped out at a rate matching the bodies needs

Question 2

What does heart failure eventually turn into?

Answer 2

Congestive heart failure (CHF)

Question 3

What is CHF?

Answer 3

Congestive heart failure. Failing heart allows fluid congestion and edema to accumulate in the body

Question 4

What causes heart failure?

Answer 4

Myocardial dysfunction
Circulatory failure

Question 5

What does DCM stand for? What is it?

Answer 5

Canine dilated cardiomyopathy
Dilation of all heart chambers caused by weak, thin, and flabby cardiac muscle

Question 6

What are the clinical signs of DCM

Answer 6

Weakness, exercise intolerance, syncope, left sided murmur

Question 7

How do you diagnose DCM?

Answer 7

Radiographs, echocardiology, ECG, cardiac biomarkers to the lab

Question 8

What is the treatment for DCM?

Answer 8

No cure, just keeping the dog comfortable.
Diuretics, medications to increase efficiency of the heart

Question 9

What is HCM?

Answer 9

Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Left ventricular muscle thickens

Question 10

What is the most common cardiomyopathy in cats?

Answer 10

HCM. Neutered males most at risk

Question 11

What are the clinical signs of HCM?

Answer 11

Systolic murmur
Arrythmias (Gallop)
Acute onset of heart failure or thromboembolism

Question 12

How do you diagnose HCM?

Answer 12

Radiographs, ECG, biomarkers to lab, MRI most accurate

Question 13

What is a thromboembolism?

Answer 13

Complication of myocardial disease in cats. Development of a clot within the left side of the heart that dislodges and gets trapped elsewhere in the body

Question 14

How do you treat HCM

Answer 14

Drug therapy

Question 15

What is a saddle thrombus in cats? What are the clinical signs?

Answer 15

90% of thromboembolisms lodge in the distal aortic trifurcation. Causes hindlimb pain and paresis

Question 16

What are clinical signs of thromboembolism?

Answer 16

Acute onset of rear leg pain and paresis, cold, bluish foot pads, lack of palpable pulse in rear limbs, hx or clinical findings of myocardial disease

Question 17

How do you diagnose thromboembolism?

Answer 17

Clinical signs

Question 18

How do you treat thromboembolism?

Answer 18

Dissolve thrombus with heparin
Low dose aspirin

Question 19

What is a PDA?

Answer 19

Patent ductus arteriosus.
Failure of the ductus arteriosus to close after birth. Remains open and blood hyper perfuses to the lungs. Causes left side of heart to become volume overloaded

Question 20

What are the clinical signs for PDA?

Answer 20

Loud murmur over left base of heart. Excersize intolerance. Stunted growth

Question 21

T/F puppies will always show symptoms if they have PDA?

Answer 21

FALSE. Puppies may be asymptomatic

Question 22

How do you diagnose PDA?

Answer 22

ECG, radiographs, echocardiology

Question 23

How do you treat PDA?

Answer 23

Surgical correction

Question 24

What is the most common cardiovascular disorder in dogs?

Answer 24

Chronic mitral valve insufficiency. Progressive disorder

Question 25

What is chronic mitral valve insufficiency?

Answer 25

Nodular thickening of the valve free edges

Question 26

T/F chronic periodontal disease can increase progression of chronic mitral valve insufficiency

Answer 26

TRUE

Question 27

What are clinical signs of chronic mitral valve insufficiency?

Answer 27

Small or toy breeds most common. Cough, dyspnea, tachypnea, decreased appetite, systolic left sided murmur

Question 28

How do you diagnose chronic mitral valve insufficiency?

Answer 28

Radiology & echocardiology

Question 29

What is the treatment for chronic mitral valve insufficiency?

Answer 29

No cure. Drug therapy and low sodium diet

Question 30

What is a cardiac arrythmias?

Answer 30

Deviation from normal heart rhythm or rhythms originating in abnormal locations

Question 31

How can you diagnose an arrhythmia?

Answer 31

ECG +/- auscultation

Question 32

What is the treatment for arrythmias?

Answer 32

Correct underlying cause or control the arrythmias

Question 33

What are some of the more common types of arrythmias?

Answer 33

Atrial fibrilation Ventricular tachycardia Ventricular fibrillation Sinus arrythmias Sinus bradycardia

Question 34

What happens during an atrial fibrillation?

Answer 34

No organized atrial contraction. Rapid and irregular heart rate

Question 35

What do you see on an ECG during atrial fibrillation?

Answer 35

No evidence of P wave. Irregular base line

Question 36

How can you treat atrial fibrilation?

Answer 36

No cure. Drug therapy can manage

Question 37

What arrythmias is this? How do you know?

Answer 37

Atrial fibrilation. No P wave and pulse does not repeat in any discernable way

Question 38

What arrythmias is this? How do you know?

Answer 38

Ventricular tachycardia. Widened, bizarre QRS complex

Question 39

What happens during ventricular tachycardia?

Answer 39

Associated with many heart diseases. Rape rate of contraction with decreased ventricular filling.

Question 40

What can occur to the pet because of ventricular tachycardia?

Answer 40

Weakness, collapse, syncope. Sudden death not uncommon

Question 41

What happens during ventricular fibrilation?

Answer 41

Life threatening. lack of heart sound, pulse, and blood pressure.

Question 42

How can you treat ventricular fibrillation?

Answer 42

Shockable rhythm. Intubation for respiratory assistance. IV fluids, epinephrine

Question 43

What arrythmias is this?

Answer 43

Ventricular fibrilation. Complete lack of well defined QRS complex

Question 44

What happens during sinus arrythmias?

Answer 44

Normal in dogs. Heart rate increased on inhalation and decreases on respiration. Not common in cats

Question 45

What happens during sinus bradycardia?

Answer 45

Normal P & QRS complexes with a heart rate <70 Can be normal in large breed and highly athletic dogs

Question 46

What arrythmias is this?

Answer 46

Sinus bradycardia