Cardiovascular System Flashcards
Review signs and symptoms of CVS disease
- Chest P/discomfort
- Breathlessness
- Palpitations
- Fatigue
- Dizziness and syncope
- Sleep disturbance- can’t lie flat
- Oedema – lower limb, sacrum- reduced circulatory flow
Angina
Reduced blood flow to heart
Angina types
Stable
Unstable
Variant
Refractory
Stable angina
Most common
Usually occurs during activity
Relieved by rest or medication
Predictable, short term episodes
Occurs due to mismatch between blood supply and metabolic demand, causes regional wall abnormalities
Unstable angina
Unpredictable
Medical emergency, occurs at rest
More severe symptoms
Inc duration (20 mins)
Heart starved of O2= potential heart attack
Variant angina
Not due to CAD
Caused by spasm in coronary arteries that temporarily reduces blood flow
Tends to occur in cycles, typically rest
Relieved by medicine
Refractory angina
Episodes are frequent despite medication + lifestyle changes
Angina causes
- Caused by dec blood flow to heart
- Symptom of CAD
- Can be result of aortic stenosis
Population affected by angina
60+
Angina risk factors
Family Hx of heart disease
Aging
Clinical presentation of angina
- Often described as squeezing, pressure, heaviness, tightness or P in chest
- May feel like heavy weight on chest
- P may be felt in arms, neck, jaw, shoulders and back
- Dizziness, fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, sweating
Prognosis of angina
- Angina medication- glycerol tri-nitrate
- Lifestyle changes- lose wight, healthy due
- Rest
DDX angina
- Acute myocarditis
- Severe pulmonary hypertension
Myocardial infarction
- Heart attack occurs when flow of blood to heart is reduced or blocked
- Myocardial cells don’t have a blood supply, requires lots of O2 as in constant use
Population affected by myocardial infarction
Male 45+
Risk factors of myocardial infarction
- Age- men aged 45, women aged 55
- Tobacco use
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Family Hx
Clinical presentation of myocardial infarction
- Variable
- Chest P- pressure, tightness, P, squeezing or aching
- Cold sweat
- Fatigue
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Women can have silent infarctions= no symptoms
Prognosis of myocardial infarction
Inc risk post first acute infarction
DDX myocardial infarction
- Stable angina
- Myocarditis
- Aortic stenosis
- Aortic dissection
Pericarditis types
Acute
Recurrent
Incessant
Chronic constrictive
Acute pericarditis
Begins suddenly, doesn’t last longer than 3 weeks, future episodes can occur
Recurrent pericarditis
Occurs about 4-6 weeks after episode with no symptoms in between
Incessant pericarditis
Lasts about 4-6 weeks but less than 3 months, continuous symptoms
Chronic constrictive pericarditis
Usually develops slowly and lasts longer than three months
Pericarditis causes
- Swelling and irritation of thin, saclike tissue surrounding heart (pericardium)
- Often result of viral infection that causes chest cold or pneumonia
Pericarditis population
Men 20-50
Risk factors of pericarditis
- Previous heart attack
- Autoimmune disease
- Trauma
- Viral infection
Clinical presentation of pericarditis
- Chest P most common
- Usually feels sharp or stabbing
- Some people have dull, achy or pressure-like chest P
- Spreads to left shoulder + neck
- Get worse when coughing, lying down and taking deep breath
- Fatigue and general feeling of weakness
- Leg swelling
- Specific symptoms depend on type
Prognosis of pericarditis
- Px with acute idiopathic or viral pericarditis generally have good long-term prognosis
DDX pericarditis
- Myocardial infarction
- Pulmonary embolism
- Congestive heart failure
- Pneumonia
- Vasculitis
Aortic dissection
- Serious condition in which tear occurs in layer of aorta
- Blood rushes through tear causing inner and middle layers of aortic to dissect
Aortic dissection causes
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Atherosclerosis
- Aortic aneurysm
Population aortic dissection
Men 60-70
Risk factors aortic dissection
- Turner syndrome
- Marfan syndrome
- Other connective tissue disorder
Weaken vessels, predispose to aneurysms (linked to dissection)
Aortic dissection clinical presentation
- Feeling of tearing P followed by sudden low back P
- Loss of consciousness
- Shortness of breath
- Weak pulse in one arm or thigh compared with other
- Leg P
- Difficulty walking
Prognosis of aortic dissection
- If detected early the chance of survival increases significantly
DDX aortic dissection
- Cardiac tamponade
- Cardiogenic shock
- Myocardial infarction
- Pulmonary embolism
Valvular heart disease
- One or more valve doesn’t work properly
- Causes poor blood flow through the heart to the body
Valvular disease cause
- Congenital
- Infection
- Degenerative conditions
- Stenosis- thickened valves or calcified obstructs flow
Valvular disease population
+65
Valvular disease risk factors
- Older age
- Hx of certain infections
- High blood pressure
- Congenital heart disease
Valvular disease presentation
- Might not have symptoms for many years
- Heart murmur
- Chest P
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling in ankles and feet
- Dizziness
Prognosis of valvular disease
- Depends on type and severity of disease
- Sometimes requires surgery to repair or replace valve
DDX of valvular disease
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
Congestive heart failure
- Chronic, progressive condition that affects pumping power of your heart muscle
- CHF specifically refers to stage in which fluid builds up within heart and causes it to pump inefficiently
Congestive heart failure cause
- Develops when ventricles cant pump enough blood to the body
- Eventually, blood and other fluids can back up inside lungs, abdomen, liver, lower body
Population congestive heart disease
45-64
Risk factors of congestive heart failure
- CAD
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Valvular heart disease
Congestive heart failure clinical presentation
- Primary- fatigue, swelling in ankles/lower limb, weight gain, inc need to urinate
- Worsening- irregular heartbeat, cough that develops from congested lungs, wheezing, shortness of breath
- Severe- chest P that radiates into upper arm, rapid breathing, skin appears blue, fainting
Congestive heart failure prognosis
- Can be life threatening, needs urgent medical attention
- Congestive heart failure drugs
- ACE inhibitors- open narrowed blood vessels to improve flow