Clinical Examination - Cardiology Flashcards
List some medical paraphernalia you might see on general inspection suggestive of Cardiovascular disease
- ECG
- Cardiac Monitoring
- GTN spray
- Oxygen supplement
- Blood glucose monitoring
- Insulin or diabetic medications
- Catheter - fluid output measured - Heart failure
- Cigarette packets
- IV furosemide
List some signs you may see on general inspection suggestive of cardiovascular disease
- Status at rest - are they comfortable
- Respiratory distress
- Are they using accessory muscles
- are they tripoding
- Body habitus
- increased - risk fo IHD
- tall and thin - think marfans
- Pallor - anaemia
- Chest - any scars or chest wall deformities
What sign might you see in the hands suggestive of marfans syndrome
Arachnodactyly (‘spider fingers’): fingers and toes are abnormally long and slender, in comparison to the palm of the hand and arch of the foot. Arachnodactyly is a feature of Marfan’s syndrome, which is associated with mitral/aortic valve prolapse and aortic dissection.
What sign in the hands is suggestive of hyperlipidaemia
Xanthomata: raised yellow cholesterol-rich deposits that are often noted on the palm, tendons of the wrist and elbow. Xanthomata are associated with hyperlipidaemia (typically familial hypercholesterolaemia), another important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (e.g. coronary artery disease, hypertension).
What sign in the hands suggests a history of smoking?
Tar staining
What cardiovascular disease are suggested by the presence of finger clubbing?
Finger clubbing is associated with several underlying disease processes, but those most likely to appear in a cardiovascular OSCE station include congenital cyanotic heart disease, infective endocarditis and atrial myxoma (very rare).
What signs in the hands are suggestive of infective endocarditis?
- Splinter haemorrhages: a longitudinal, red-brown haemorrhage under a nail that looks like a wood splinter. Causes include local trauma, infective endocarditis, sepsis, vasculitis and psoriatic nail disease.
- Janeway lesions: non-tender, haemorrhagic lesions that occur on the thenar and hypothenar eminences of the palms (and soles). Janeway lesions are typically associated with infective endocarditis.
- Osler’s nodes: red-purple, slightly raised, tender lumps, often with a pale centre, typically found on the fingers or toes. They are typically associated with infective endocarditis.
What sign in the hands may be suggestive of heart failure?
Swollen fingers and tight rings
What sign in the hands may suggest poor circulation and what cardiovascular disease may casue this?
Cold, pale hands
Prolonged capillary refill time
This may be due to peripheral vascular disease or failure in left ventricular output.
What signs of cardiovascular disease would you look for in the arms on inspection?
- Bruising - suggestive of anticoagulation. Patients with previous ACS and those with mechanical heart valves will likely be on long term anticoagulation
- Tendon xanthomata - suggestive of dyslipidaemia.
- Track marks - IV drug use is a risk factor for infective endocarditis
What is a regularly irregular pulse suggestive of?
A dropped beat associated with second degree heart block.
What can cause a radio-radial delay?
- Subclavian artery stenosis (e.g. compression by a cervical rib)
- Aortic dissection
- Aortic coarctation
What signs would you test for in the arms to evaluate for aortic regurgitation?
- Bounding pulse (associated with aortic regurgitation as well as CO2 retention
- Wide pulse pressure: more than 100 mmHg of difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Causes include aortic regurgitation and aortic dissection.
- A collapsing pulse - a forceful pulse that rapidly increases and subsequently collapses. It is also sometimes referred to as a ‘water hammer pulse’.
What would you look for in the blood pressure of someone with aortic stenosis?
Narrow pulse pressure: less than 25 mmHg of difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Causes include aortic stenosis, congestive heart failure and cardiac tamponade.
What signs would you look for in the arms that could suggest an aortic dissection?
Wide pulse pressure: more than 100 mmHg of difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Causes include aortic regurgitation and aortic dissection.
Difference between arms: more than 20 mmHg difference in blood pressure between each arm is abnormal and may suggest aortic dissection
What signs of cardiovascular disease are looking for when inspecting the patients eyes?
- Conjunctival pallor: suggestive of underlying anaemia. Ask the patient to gently pull down their lower eyelid to allow you to inspect the conjunctiva.
- Corneal arcus: a hazy white, grey or blue opaque ring located in the peripheral cornea, typically occurring in patients over the age of 60. In older patients, the condition is considered benign, however, its presence in patients under the age of 50 suggests underlying hypercholesterolaemia.
- Xanthelasma: yellow, raised cholesterol-rich deposits around the eyes associated with hypercholesterolaemia.
- Kayser-Fleischer rings: dark rings that encircle the iris associated with Wilson’s disease. The disease involves abnormal copper processing by the liver, resulting in accumulation and deposition in various tissues (including the heart where it can cause cardiomyopathy).
What sign would you look for in the cheeks of a patient that could suggest a valvular pathology? (name the valve pathology too)
Malar Flush
Seen in mitral stenosis
What sign in the mouth is associated with iron deficiency?
- Angular stomatits
- Atrophic glossitis
What sign in the mouth may be suggestive of infective endocarditis?
Poor dentition
What sign in the mouth may suggest marfans syndrome?
A high arched palate
What sign in the mouth may suggest B12 deficiency?
Beefy Glossitis