Clinical Significance of Physiology

Question 1

What are high BNP levels indicative of?

Answer 1

Heart failure

Question 2

What muscle protein increases rapidly when a patient is experiencing a myocardial infarction?

Answer 2

Troponon

Question 3

What type of murmur is common in aortic stenosis?

Answer 3

Creshendo decreshendo murmur

Question 4

What happens to ESV during aortic stenosis?

Answer 4

ESV is high due to increased afterload which the heart has to overcome in order to expel blood out the ventricles

Question 5

What is an aortic stenosis?

Answer 5

Aortic valve stenosis — or aortic stenosis — occurs when the heart’s aortic valve narrows. The valve doesn’t open fully, which reduces or blocks blood flow from your heart into the main artery to your body (aorta) and to the rest of your body.

Question 6

What is BNP?

Answer 6

A protein made by the heart when you have heart failure

Question 7

Why are neutrophils and WBCs raised during COPD?

Answer 7

Due to infection

Question 8

What happens to FEV (forced expiratory volume) during COPD?

Answer 8

It is lowered

Question 9

What signs are seen on an X Ray which indicate COPD?

Answer 9

Hyperinflated lungs, barrel chest due to more dead space and Bullae

Question 10

What may be heard in a patient with systolic heart failure?

Answer 10

Turbulent ventricular filling shown by the presence of the S3 gallop sound on the phonocardiograms.

Question 11

Why is cardiac output low in a patient with systolic heart failure?

Answer 11

Reduced cardiac output due to contractility, heart muscles have lost elasticity and ability to pump (shown on the Frank-Starling curve)

Question 12

In asthma, what happens to FEV1 and FVC levels?

Answer 12

FEV1 is lower but does reach max capacity (FVC) as normal

Question 13

Why is arterial blood gas more acidic in patients with asthma?

Answer 13

Airway hyperresponsiveness leads to hyperventilation and chronic hypocapnia with a consequent increase in renal bicarbonate loss. This results in hyperchloremic acidosis, which becomes more clinically evident-with a clear effect on blood acidity-during severe asthma attacks, in case PCO2 normalizes or increases.

Question 14

What is seen on a blood film in patients with COPD?

Answer 14

Increased neutrophils which are associated with inflammation in COPD

Question 15

What happens to FEV1 and FVC in COPD?

Answer 15

Both are reduced

Question 16

What does a Chest X Ray show for patients with COPD?

Answer 16

Barrel chest and hyperinflation

Question 17

What heart sound is commonly heart in Heart Failure?

Answer 17

s3 Gallop

Question 18

What happens to the Frank-Starling Curve in Heart Failure?

Answer 18

Moves down and becomes flattened

Question 19

What is indicative of a MI in an angiogram?

Answer 19

Occlusion of a coronary artery which impacts the flow of blood