cardiovascular system Flashcards
atherosclerosis definition
pathology of arteries in which there is deposition of lipids in the arterial wall, with surrounding fibrosis and chronic inflammation
risk factors for atherosclerosis
age tobacco smoking high serum cholesterol obesity diabetes hypertension family history
distribution of atherosclerosis
found within peripheral and coronary arteries
focal distribution along artery length
structure of atherosclerotic plaque
contains lipid, necrotic core, connective tissue, fibrous cap
eventually plaque occludes the vessel lumen causing ischaemia or ruptures, forming a thrombus
inflammation and atherosclerosis
LDL’s pass in and out of arterial endothelial cells
in excess they accumulate in the arterial wall and undergo oxidation and glycation
damage to endothelial cells leads to endothelial dysfunction
adhesion of leukocytes in atherosclerosis
chemoattractants are released from the endothelium and send signals to leukocytes
progression of atherosclerosis
fatty streaks intermediate lesions fibrous plaques plaque rupture plaque erosion
fatty streaks
appear at early age (<10)
consist of aggregations of lipid-laden macrophages and T cells in the intimal layer of the vessel wall
intermediate lesions
layers:
- lipid laden macrophages (Foam cells)
- vascular smooth muscle cells
- T lymphocytes
- adhesion and aggregation of platelets to vessel wall
- isolated pools of extracellular lipid
fibrous plaques
impedes blood flow
prone to rupture
covered by dense fibrous cap (collagen and elastin) laid down by smooth muscle cells that overlies lipid core and necrotic debris
may be calcified
smooth muscle cells, macrophages, foam cells, T cells
plaque rupture
constantly growing and receding
the cap is resorbed and redeposited
if balance is shifted in favour or inflammatory conditions it becomes weak and it ruptures
highly thrombotic plaque constituents are exposed (basement membrane, collagen, necrotic tissue)
thrombus formation
plaque erosion
fibrous cap does not disrupt
luminal surface under the clot may not have endothelium present but is smooth muscle cell rich
exposed thrombogenic subendothelial basement membrane to blood
treatment for coronary artery disease
percutaneous coronary intervention- stent implantation
restenosis was a limitation
restenosis
recurrence of abnormal narrowing of an artery or valve after corrective surgery
drug elution
anti-proliferative and inhibits healing
works by reducing smooth muscle cell proliferation so reduced the regrowth after placement of a stent
other useful drugs in atherosclerosis
aspirin- inhibits platelet cyclo-oxygenase but can cause excessive bleeding
statins- reduce cholesterol synthesis
clopidogrel- inhibitor of receptor on platelets
ECG
electrocardiogram is a representation of the electrical events of the cardiac cycle
ECGs can identify:
arrhythmias MIs pericarditis chamber hypertrophy electrolyte disturbances drug toxicity
pacemakers of the heart
SA node
AV node
ventricular cells
pacemakers of the heart: SA node
dominant pacemaker
intrinsic rate is 60-100 beats/min
pacemakers of the heart: AV node
back up pacemaker
intrinsic rate of 40-60 beats/min
pacemakers of the heart: ventricular cells
back up pacemaker
intrinsic rate of 20-45 beats/min
ECG: impulse conduction
sinoatrial node -> AV node-> bundle of His -> bundle branches -> purkinje fibres
ECG: calibration
25mm/s
0.1mV/mm
ECG: PQRST
p wave= atrial depolarisation
QRS= ventricular depolarisation
T wave= ventricular repolarisation
ECG: PR interval
atrial depolarisation and delay in AV junction (AV node to bundle of His)
ECG paper
horizontally:
- one small box= 0.04 seconds
- one large box= 0.2 s
vertically:
-one large box= 0.5mV
ECG leads
measure difference in electrical potential between two points
ECG: bipolar leads
two different points on the body
ECG: unipolar leads
one point in the body and a virtual reference point with zero electrical potential, located in the centre of the heart
12 lead ECG, type of leads
3 standard limb leads
3 augmented limb leads\6 precordial leads
ECG: Rule 1 (PR interval length)
PR interval should be 120-200 milliseconds (3-5 small squares)
ECG: Rule 2 (QRS width)
width of QRS complex should not exceed 110ms ( or 3 small squares)
ECG: Rule 3 (QRS in leads I and II)
QRS complex should be dominantly upright in leads I and II
ECG: Rule 4 ( QRS and T)
QRS and T waves tend to have same general direction in the limb leads
ECG: Rule 5 (waves in aVR)
all waves are negative in lead aVR
ECG: Rule 6 (R and S waves growing)
R wave must grow from v1 to at least V4
S wave must grow from V1 to at least V3 and disappear in V6
ECG: Rule 7 (ST segment)
ST segment should start isoelectric except in V1 and V2, where it may be elevated
ECG: Rule 8 (P waves)
P waves should be upright in I,II and V2-V6
ECG: Rule 9 (Q waves)
should be no Q wave (or only a small Q , less than 0.04s in I,II and V2-6
ECG: Rule 10 ( T waves)
T wave must be upright in I,II and V2-6
ECG: P wave
- always positive in I and II but negative in aVR
- <3 small squares in duration
- <2.5 squares in amplitude
- commonly biphasic in V1
- best seen in II
ECG: right atrial enlargement
tall (>2.5), pointed P waves
ECG: left atrial enlargement
notched, bifid P wave in limb leads
M for mitrale
ECG: short PR interval
wolff-parkinson-white syndrome
accessory pathway allows early activation of the ventricle
ECG: long PR interval
first degree heart block
ECG: QRS complex
- non-pathological Q waves present in I,II aVL, V5 and V6
- pathological >25% amplitude of subsequent R wave
- R waves in V6
ECG: ST segment
flat- isoelectric
elevation or depression by 1mm or more is considered normal
ECG: T wave
- normal is asymmetrical, first half having a more gradual slope than the second
- should be at least 1/8, but less than 2/3 of the amplitude of R wave
- abnormal= symmetrical, tall, peaked, biphasic or inverted
ECG: QT interval
- measured in lead aVL as it doesn’t have prominent U waves
- 0.35-0.45s
- decreased when heart rate increases
- HR=70bpm, QT <0.4s
ECG: U wave
- related to after depolarisations, which follow repolarisations
- small, round, symmetrical and positive in lead II
- same direction as T wave
ECG: rule of 300 or 1500, for determining heart hate
count number of large boxes between QRS complexes and divide this into 300 (smaller boxes with 1500)
e.g. 300/4= 75bpm
ECG: 10 second rule for determining heart hate
ECGs record 10 seconds of rhythm per page
count number of beats present on ECG
multiply by 6
better for irregular rhythms
ECG: the QRS axis
represents overall direction of the hearts electrical activity
ECG: abnormalities in the QRS axis
ventricular enlargement
conduction blocks
ECG: determining the axis
quadrant approach
equiphasic approach
ECG: quadrant approach
QRS complex in leads I and aVF
determine if they are positive or negative
combination should place the axis into one of the 4 quadrants
ECG: equiphasic approach
most equiphasic QRS complex
identified lead lies 90 degrees away from the lead
QRS in this second lead is positive or negative
ECG: right bundle branch block
- RBB is blocked so septal depolarisation from left to right (what normally occurs)
- left ventricular depolarisation down LBB, no RV depolarisation yet
- RV depolarisation from the LV
ECG: left bundle branch block
- LBB is blocked to septal depolarisation from right to left
- RV depolarisation, no LV depolarisation yet
- LV depolarisation from RV
angina definition
a symptom which occurs as a consequence of restricted coronary blood flow
almost exclusively secondary to atherosclerosis
angina and coronary arteries
epicardial= main exterior arteries e.g. LAD, circumflex etc.
small vessels= microvessels
symptoms occur when diameter falls below 75%
angina pathophysiology
Oxygen supply/demand mismatch:
- impairment of blood flow by proximal stenosis
- increased distal resistance
- reduced oxygen carrying capacity of blood- anaemia
electro-hydraulic analogy: healthy, rest
resistance of the epicardial arteries is negligible and so the flow through the system is determined by the resistance of the microvascular vessels
flow around 3ml/s
electro-hydraulic analogy: healthy, exercise
more flow is needed to meet metabolic demand so microvascular resistance falls so flow increases
flow is increased 5 fold (15ml/s)
electro-hydraulic analogy: disease, rest
compensated
epicardial disease causes the resistance of the epicardial vessel to increase
compensation occurs by reduction of microvascular resistance, maintaining flow @ 3ml/s
electro-hydraulic analogy: diseased, exercise
decompensated
microvascular resistance falls to try to increase flow, however it will ‘max out’
flow can therefore not meet metabolic demand- myocardium is ischaemic
types of angina
stable angina
unstable angina
crescendo angina
microvascular angina
angina non-modifiable risk factors
gender
family history
personal history
age
angina modifiable risk factors
smoking diabetes hypertension hypercholesterolaemia sedentary lifestyle stress
angina precipitants (supply)
anaemia hypoxaemia polycythaemia hypothermia hypovolaemia hypervolaemia
angina precipitants (demand)
hypertension tachyarrhythmia hyperthyroidism hypertrophic cardiomyopathy cold weather emotional stress
angina incidence
men= 35/100,00/year women= 20/100,000/year
angina prevalence
men= 5% (5000/100,000) women= 4% (4000/100,000)
angina mortality
annual= 1.2-2.4%
cardiac death= 0.6-1.4%
MI=0.6-2.7%
angina history taking
chest pain/discomfort: -heavy, central, tight, radiation to arms/jaw/neck -precipitated by exertion -relieved by rest/GTN (from above): -3/3= typical angina -2/3= atypical angina -1/3 or 0/3= non-anginal pain
angina differential diagnosis (*=important)
*pericarditis/myocarditis
*pulmonary embolism
chest infection
*aortic dissection
*gastro-oesophageal (reflux/spasm/ulceration)
*MSK
*psychological
MI??
angina examination
often seem normal or near normal signs of risk factors: -smoking -diabetes -hypertension -high cholesterol signs of complications
angina basic investigations: 12 lead ECG
often appear normal
can be signs of ischaemic heart disease
angina basic investigations: echo
will seem normal
can be signs of previous infarcts or give alternative diagnoses
angina basic investigations: pre test probability
calculates probabilities of obstructive coronary disease by categorising patients according to their gender, age and typical pain
angina diagnosis: treadmill test
induce ischaemia while walking uphill at a fast pace
look for ST segment depression
detects a late stage of ischaemia
unsuitable if:
- can’t walk
- unfit
- BBB
- young female
angina diagnosis: CT angiogram
- high negative predictive value
- ideal for excluding CAD in younger, low risk individuals
- limited in tachycardia, AF or calcified disease
angina diagnosis: invasive angiogram
traditionally purely anatomical
some modern functional testing techniques such as FFR (pressure gradient across stenosis)
angina diagnosis: stress echo
functional test
dynamic imaging with and without pharmacological stress, looking for regional wall motion abnormalities
angina diagnosis: SPECT/myoview
radio-labelled tracer taken up by metabolising tissues
1st scan under stress, if perfusion defect bring back for a 2nd
a rest scan to see if its fixed defect (scar) or reversible (ischaemia)
angina diagnosis: cardiac MRI
same principle as stress echo
choosing an angina diagnosis test
- pre test probability of CAD
- invasive vs non-invasive
- allergies
- sensitivity/specificity
- radiation
- patient choice
angina primary prevention
reducing the risk of CAD and it's complications antihypertensives statins and lipid modulating therapies diabetic therapy smoking cessation general diet advice plenty of exercise
angina secondary prevention
risk factor modification
lifestyle changes similar to primary
pharmacological to reduce symptoms and risk of cardiovascular events
interventional such as surgery and PCI
angina treatment: beta blockers
1st line anti-anginal
beta 1 specific
reduce heart rate and contractility by antagonising the sympathetic nervous system
angina treatment: beta blocker side effects
bradycardia
tiredness
erectile dysfunction
cold hands and feet
angina treatment: beta blocker contraindications
excess bradycardia severe heart block severe bronchospasm asthma coronary spasm
angina treatment: nitrates
1st line anti-anginal
primary venodilators (systemic veins)
reduce preload of the heart and therefore the work of the heart and O2 demand
angina treatment: calcium channel antagonists
1st line anti-anginal
arterodilators (systemic arteries) decreasing BP and afterload of the heart
so reduce energy needed for same CO
dilating coronary arteries antagonises spasm
angina treatment: antiplatelets
e.g. aspirin reduce events cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor: -decrease prostaglandin synthesis (thromboxane) -decrease platelet aggregation
causes gastric ulceration
angina treatment: statins
HMGCoA reductase inhibitors
reduces events
reduces LDL cholesterol
revascularisation
restore coronary artery and increase the flow
performed when medication fails or when risk of disease is high
types of revascularisation
percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI- stenting)
coronary artery bypass graft (CABG- surgery)
PCI pros
less invasive
convenient
repeatable
acceptable
PCI cons
stent thrombosis
restenosis
disease is complex
dual anti-platelet therapy
CABG pros
prognosis
deals with complex disease
CABG cons
invasive risk of stroke or bleeding can't do it if frail one-time treatment length of stay time of recovery
When to use PCI or CABG
STEMI- PCI
NSTEMI_ mainly PCI but also CABG
stable-PCI or CABG
acute coronary syndromes
a spectrum of acute cardiac conditions from unstable angina to MI
all associated with sudden reduced blood flow to the heart
acute coronary syndromes: the big five risk factors
smoking hypertension diabetes mellitus hypercholesterolaemia family history
acute coronary syndromes: other risk factors (not the big five)
CKD peripheral arterial disease (PAD) inflammatory conditions ethnicity stress
unstable angina clinical classification
cardiac chest pain at rest
cardiac chest pain with crescendo pattern
new onset angina
unstable angina diagnosis
history
ECG
troponin (no significant rise)
acute MI
supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked
usually causes permanent cardiac muscle damage, although this may not be detectable in small MIs
ST elevation MI (STEMI)
sudden complete blockage of a coronary artery
can usually be diagnosed on ECG at presentation
non ST elevation MI (NSTEMI)
severely narrowed coronary artery but it isn’t 100% blocked
retrospective diagnosis made after troponin results are available
Q wave MI vs non-Q wave MI
a way of defining MI on the basis of whether pathological Q waves develop on the ECG
non-Q wave MI
no new Q waves
poor W wave progression
ST elevation
biphasic T wave
Q wave MI
large Q waves
STEMI (or MIs associated with left bundle branch block) are larger infarcts so more likely to lead to pathological Q wave formation
MI: symptoms
cardiac chest pain:
- unremitting
- severe (can be mild or absent)
- occurs at rest
- sweating, shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting
- 1/3 occur in bed at night
MI: mortality
early:
- 30% outside hospital
- 15% inside hospital
late:
- 5-10% in first year
- 2-5% annually thereafter
MI: risk factors
higher age diabetes renal failure left ventricular systolic dysfunction smoking obesity high cholesterol etc.
acute coronary syndromes: causes
majority= rupture of atherosclerotic plaque and consequent arterial thrombosis
uncommon= coronary vasospasm, drug abuse, artery dissection
formation of a thrombus
endothelial injury (exposes subendothelial collagen),
initial adhesion of platelets (GPIb on platelets binds to VWF, assisting binding to collagen),
stable adhesion and aggregation (GPIIb/IIIa, soluble platelet agonists)
troponin as an investigation
highly sensitive marker for cardiac muscle injury but not specific as it is a protein released in other forms of muscle injury (regulates actin-myosin contraction)
when is troponin also tested positive
gram negative sepsis pulmonary embolism myocarditis heart failure arrhythmias cytotoxic drugs
after MI troponin
rises for 4-8 hours, peaking at 12-18 hours
back to normal in 10-14 days
troponin: hsTnT, Rohe assay
make sure one measurement taken at least 6 hours after pain,
if not elevated 6 hours after pain- no MI
if it is elevated, repeat after 3 hours
if significant rise or fall (alongside other diagnostic factors) MI confirmed
acute coronary syndromes: initial management
999- to get to hospital fast
paramedics- look for ST elevation (contact primary PCI centre)
take aspirin 300mg immediately
pain relief
initial management of an MI
MONA
Morphine
Oxygen
Nitrates
Aspirin
acute coronary syndromes: hospital management
diagnosis bed rest oxygen therapy if hypoxic pain relief aspirin beta blocker
acute coronary syndromes: pharmacological treatment
P2Y12 inhibitors
GPIIb/IIIa antagonists
anticoagulants