Cardiovascular Diseases- Heart Failure, Common Valvular Disease and common Congenital Heart Diseases Flashcards
What are the main causes of left sided heart failure?
- Hypertension (pressure overload)
- Valvular disease (pressure/volume overload)
- MI - dysfunction with volume overload
What happens to the left side of the heart with left sided heart failure?
Increased wall/cell stretch and cardiac work results in hypertrophy and dilatation, causing cardiac dysfunction
(LOW OUTPUT - effects on subsequent organs)
What are the signs/symptoms of left sided heart failure?
CONGESTION
- Pulmonary congestion and oedema
- heart failure cells
- dyspnea, orthopnea
- paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND)
- blood tingled sputum
- cyanosis
- increased pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (2-15 mmHg)
What is the cause of right sided heart failure?
Left sided heart failure
What does right sided heart failure cause?
Cor pulmonale (abnormal enlargement of right side of heart)
What are the signs and symptoms of right sided heart failure
- Splenomegaly and hepatomegaly
- ascites - accumulation of fluid in abdominal cavity
- oedema - periphery
- PLEURAL AND PERICARDIAL EFFUSION
- cyanosis
- Distention of jugular veins
What does heart failure present with at autopsy?
Cardiomegaly - enlargement of heart
- Dilatation of chambers
- hypertrophy of cardiac fibres with BOXCAR nuclei
What are the compensatory mechanisms of coronary heart failure?
RAAS - sodium and water retention
Adrenal medulla release of catecholamines (increases HR and therefore cardiac output)
Hypertrophy
What are the two major types of valvular heart disease?
- Stenosis (opening)
- regurgitation/incompetence
Where do most valvular heart diseases occur?
Left side (70% of valvular heart disease)
What is the main cause of aortic stenosis?
Calcification of deformed valve
but can be caused by rheumatic heart disease
Whats the main cause of mitral stenosis
Rheumatic heart disease
What infection is rheumatic heart disease usually caused by?
Group A strep infection
Causes endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis
What is endocarditis and how is it characterised?
Inflammation of endocardium, usually involving heart valves
- vegetations (lesions; mass of platelets, fibrin and microorganisms)
What are the macrophages in necrotic regions of rheumatic heart disease?
Anitschkow cells
What are the necrotic regions called
Aschoff bodies
What are the macroscopic signs of rheumatic heart disease?
Thickened valves (aortic and mitral)
Fusion of valves
Thick short chordae tendinae
What is the main cause oaf aortic stenosis?
Calcification of aortic valve
What can happen to the heart with chronic aortic stenosis?
Cardiac decompensation
Angina
Heart failure
What are the major causes of atrial valve regurgitation?
Rheumatic heart disease (stops valve opening and closing)
Infections e.g. endocarditis
Other conditions e.g. syphilis, marfans
What is the major cause of mitral valve regurgitation??
Mitral valve prolapse
What is mitral vale prolapse also known as
Myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve - ‘floppy valve’ - occurs more in females
What are the clinical features of mitral valve prolapse?
Usually asymptomatic
Mid-systolic click
If regurgitation present, holosystolic murmur
Sometimes chest pain, dyspnea
How do congenital heart defects usually arise and what weeks?
Faulty embryogenesis (weeks 3-8)