cardiovascular pathology Flashcards
Aneurysms
- abnormal dilations of arteries from a weakened vessel wall
- it damages the blood vessel endothelium - making it rough and increasing risks of clots
causes of an aneurysm
weakening due to:
- atherosclerosis
- trauma
- congenital
- hypertension
- infection
commo sites for anuerysms
- circle of willis
- thoracic aorta
- abdominal aorta
classification of aneurysms
saccular
fusiform
dissecting
saccular aneurysm
- localised bulge on one side of the artery - usually in cerebral arteries
fusiform aneurysms
bulge includes the entire circumference of the vessel wall- usually distal abdominal aorta
dissecting aneurysms
occurs when there is a tear in the intima and blood flows within the vessel wall
brain aneurysm patient presentation
- severe headache
- nausea and vomiting
- stiff neck/pain
- blurred/double vision
- dilated pupils
Thoracic aneurysm patient presentation
- chest pain
- dyspnoea - difficulty breathing
- hypotension
abdominal aorta patient presentation
- patient may notice a pulsatile mass in abdomen (Abdominal aortic aneurysm
CT Angiogram - patient considerations
- claustrophobic/ photophobic
- unconscious
- pale/sweaty
- difficulty breathing
- pain/ severe pain
patient preparation for CT Angiogram
- patient ID
- informed consent
- cannula and fasting
- blood results
- dress into gown
- LMP
- use appropriate PPE
- allergy status
CT Angiogram room prep
- crash trolley
- warmed contrast
- cannulation equipment
- pat slide
- immobilisation aids
treatment for AAA
- endovascular aortic repair
- surgery
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- occurs when a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins e.g. in the legs.
DVT risk factors
- family history
- blood vessel damage
- trauma
- immobility
treatment for DVT
- injection of anticoagulant medicine e.g. warfarin
Pulmonary embolism (PE)
- a clot that breaks away and travels into the blood stream and gets trapped in the lungs
causes of PE
- DVT
- Fat embolus caused from trauma
symptoms of PE
- SOB
- Chest pain
- coughing up blood
PE Imaging
- RNI V/Q SPECT
- RNI PLANAR V/Q
- CXR
- CTPA
PE Perfusion (Q) scan technique
- patient is supine
- syringe inverted before injection
- wide gauge needle - direct injection
- dont draw blood back into needle - can lead to clots
- as you are injecting get patient to breathe deeply for 2 minutes
PE perfusion (Q) scan views
- anterior
- posterior
- RPO - left posterior oblique
- LPO
- left lateral
- right lateral
PE ventilation scan radionuclides
99mTc- DTPA - aerosol- scanned 24 hours later
- cheap, however poorer image quality
81mKr - patient breathes in gas through mask and nebulised through water, takes deep breath
