Cardiovascular examination Flashcards
what clinical signs should be looked for in general inspection?
- cyanosis
- SOB
- pallor
- malar flush
- oedema
- comfort
- position
- build
what is cyanosis?
a bluish discolouration of the skin due to poor circulation (e.g. peripheral vasoconstriction secondary to hypovolaemia) or inadequate oxygenation of the blood (e.g. right to left cardiac shunting)
what is malar flush?
plum-red discolouration of the cheeks associated with mitral stenosis
what objects and equipment should be looked for in general inspection?
- oxygen delivery devices, ECG leads, medications, catheters (volume/colour of urine), IV access
- mobility aids
- how many pillows
- vital signs
- fluid balance
- prescriptions
what should be looked for in hand inspection?
- general observations
- finger clubbing
- signs in hands associated with endocarditis
what general observations should be looked for in hand inspection?
- colour
- vasodilation/constriction
- temperature
- xanthomata
- arachnodactyly
- sweating
- pallor of palmar creases
- peripheral cyanosis
- tendon xanthomas
what are xanthomata?
raised yellow cholesterol-rich deposits that are often noted on the palm, tendons of the wrist and elbow; associated with hyperlipidaemia
what is arachnodactyly?
fingers and toes are abnormally long and slender, in comparison to the palm of the hand and arch of the foot; is a feature of Marfan’s syndrome, which is associated with mitral/aortic prolapse and aortic dissection
what is finger clubbing? what is it associated with?
- involves uniform soft tissue swelling of the terminal phalanx of a digit with loss of the normal angle between the nail and the nail bed
- associated with underlying diseases, in CV OSCE they’re likely to include congenital cyanotic heart disease, infective endocarditis and atrial myxoma
how is finger clubbing tested for?
- ask patient to place the nails of their index fingers back to back
- in a healthy person, you should see a small diamond-shaped window (Schamroth’s window)
- when finger clubbing develops, this window is lost
what are signs in the hands associated with endocarditis?
- splinter haemorrhages
- Janeway lesions
- Osler’s nodes
- petechiae
what are splinter haemorrhages? what are they caused by?
- longitudinal, red-brown haemorrhages under nails that look like wood splinters
- causes include local trauma, infective endocarditis, sepsis, vasculitis, psoriatic nail disease
what are Janeway lesions?
non-tender, haemorrhagic lesions that occur on the thenar and hypothenar eminences of the palms and soles; associated with infective endocarditis
what are Osler’s nodes?
red-purple, slightly raised, tender lumps, often with a pale centre, typically found on fingers or toes; associated with infective endocarditis
what is palpated in the CV examination?
- temperature of hands
- capillary refill time
- radial pulse
- radio-radial delay
- collapsing pulse
- brachial pulse
- BP
- carotid pulse
- JVP
- hepatojugular reflex
how is the capillary refill time assessed?
- apply 5 seconds of pressure to the distal phalanx of one of the patient’s fingers and then release
- in healthy people, the initial pallor of the compressed area should return to its normal colour in less than 2 seconds
- a CRT >2seconds suggests poor peripheral perfusion and the need to assess central CRT
where is the radial pulse located? how is it assessed?
- palpate the radial pulse, located at the radial side of the wrist, with tips of your index and middle fingers aligned longitudinally over the artery
- assess rate and rhythm
- assess radio-radial delay
what is radio-radial delay?
a loss of synchronity between the radial pulse on each arm, resulting in pulses occurring at different times
how is radio-radial delay assessed?
- palpate both radial pulses simultaneously
2. should occur at same time
what are causes of radio-radial delay?
- subclavian artery stenosis
- aortic dissection
- aortic coarctation
how is collapsing pulse assessed?
- ask patient if they have any pain in their right shoulder, as you’ll have to move it briskly (if they do, avoid the assessment)
- palpate the radial pulse with your right hand wrapped around their wrist
- palpate the brachial pulse (medial to biceps brachii tendon) with your left hand, while supporting the patient’s elbow
- raise patient’s arm above the head briskly
- as blood rapidly empties from the arm in diastole, you should feel a tapping impulse through the muscle bulk; this is caused by the sudden retraction of the column of blood within the arm during diastole
what are causes of a collapsing pulse?
- normal physiological states (e.g. fever, pregnancy)
- cardiac lesions (e.g. aortic regurgitation, patent ductus arteriosus)
- high output states (e.g. anaemia, AV fistula, thyrotoxicosis)
how is the brachial pulse assessed?
- assess volume and character
- support the patient’s right forearm with your left hand
- position the patient so their upper arm is abducted, their elbow is partially flexed and their forearm is externally rotated
- with your right hand, palpate medial to the biceps brachii tendon and lateral to the medial epicondyle of the humerus; deeper palpation is required
what are the the types of pulse character?
- normal
- slow-rising (associated with aortic stenosis)
- bounding (associated with aortic regurg and CO2 retention)
- thready (associated with intravascular hypovolaemia in conditions e.g. sepsis)
what is a narrow pulse pressure?
less than 25mmHg of difference between the systolic and diastolic pulse pressure; causes include aortic stenosis, CHF, cardiac tamponade
what is a wide pulse pressure?
more than 100mmHg of difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure; causes include aortic regurg and aortic dissection
what difference in BP between arms is abnormal? what does it suggest?
more than 20mmHg; may suggest aortic dissection
how is the carotid artery auscultated?
- before palpating the carotid artery, you need to auscultate it to rule out a bruit (which suggests carotid stenosis), making palpation dangerous due to risk of dislodging a plaque and causing an ischaemic stroke
- place the diaphragm of your stethoscope between the larynx and the anterior border of the SCM muscle over the carotid pulse and ask patient to take a deep breath and hold whilst you listen
- presence of bruit may be a radiating carotid murmur
how is the carotid pulse palpated?
- if no bruits were identified in auscultation then it’s safe to palpate
- ensure patient is positioned safely on bed
- gently place your fingers between the larynx and the anterior border of the SCM to locate pulse
- assess character and volume
how is the JVP measured?
- position the patient in semi-recumbent position (45deg)
- ask patient to turn head slightly to left
- inspect for evidence of the IJV, running between the medial end of the clavicle and the ear lobe, under the medial aspect of the SCM
- measure JVP by assessing the vertical distance between the sternal angle and the top of the pulsation point of the IJV (should be no greater than 3cm)
what are cardiac causes of raised JCP?
- right-sided heart failure (left-sided heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, COPD, ILD)
- tricuspid regurgitation (causes are endocarditis and rheumatic heart disease)
- constrictive pericarditis (rheumatoid arthritis, TB, idiopathic)
how is the hepatojugular reflex elicited?
- there should be at least a 3cm distance from the upper margin of the baseline JVP to the angle of the mandible
- position the patient in a semi-recumbent position (45deg)
- apply direct pressure to the liver
- closely observe the IJV for a rise
- in healthy people the rise should last no longer than 1-2 cardiac cycles, then fall
- if the rise in JVP is sustained and equal to or greater than 4cm this is a positive result
- uncomfortable for patient
what is a positive result for the hepatojugular reflex?
rise in JVP is sustained and equal to or greater than 4cm
what can cause a positive hepatojugular reflex result?
positive result suggests right ventricle cannot accommodate an increased venous return, can be caused by:
- constrictive pericarditis
- right/left ventricular failure
- restrictive cardiomyopathy
what is looked for in eye inspection?
- conjunctival pallor
- corneal arcus
- xanthelasma
- Kayser-Fleischer rings
- malar flush
what is corneal arcus?
a hazy white, grey or blue opaque ring located in the peripheral cornea, typically occurring in patients over 60. in older patients it’s considered benign, in under 50s it suggests hypercholesterolaemia
what are Kayser-Fleischer rings?
dark rings encircling the iris in Wilson’s disease
what is looked for in mouth inspection?
- central cyanosis
- angular stomatitis
- high arched palate
- dental hygiene
what is looked for on the anterior chest?
- pectus excavatum
- pectus carniatum
- visible pulsations
- severe kyphoscoliosis
what is pectus excavatum?
a caved in or sunken appearance of the chest
what is pectus carniatum?
protrusion of the sternum and ribs
what types of thoracic scars should be looked for?
- median sternotomy scar
- anterolateral thoracotomy scar
- infraclavicular scar
- left mid-axillary scar