Cardiovascular Emergencies

Question 1

What animal is often diagnosed as they get older?

Answer 1

smaller animals

Question 2

Why can heart disease go undiagnosed?

Answer 2

hard to tell until obvious signs of heart failure are observed by the animal’s owner​

Question 3

What heart condition is this?

1. the inability of the heart to supply adequate blood flow needed to meet the metabolic needs of body tissues (low-output/forward failure)​
2. or to provide adequate flow only by excessive increases in ventricular filling pressure (congestive/backward failure)​

Answer 3

heart failure

Question 4

What heart condition is this?

1. increased pulmonary and/or systemic venous pressure​
2. Leads to leakage of fluid from capillaries leading to edema and effusions

Answer 4

congestive heart failure

Question 5

What are these the clinical signs for?
1. Heart murmur, irregular pulse​
2. Pulmonary edema – dyspnea, tachypnea, exercise intolerance, cyanosis, weakness (Left Heart)​
Pleural effusion, severe ascites, hepatomegaly, venous distension, weakness, weight loss (Right Heart)​

Answer 5

congestive heart failure

Question 6

How is congestive heart failure diagnosed? (3)

Answer 6

1. Radiographs​
2. Echocardiogram​
3. Electrocardiogram

Question 7

How can you treat congestive heart failure in an emergency? (4)

Answer 7

1. oxygen supplementation
2. decrease venous pressure/preload
3. decrease afterload
4. improve contractility

Question 8

What emergency drugs decrease venous pressure/preload? (2)

Answer 8

1. furosemide

2. nitroglycerin​

Question 9

What emergency drugs can decrease afterload? (3)

Answer 9

1. hydralazine
2. enalapril
3. benazepril

Question 10

What emergency drugs can improve contractility? (3)

Answer 10

1. dobutamine
2. dopamine
3. amrinone​