Common Cardiac Conditions Flashcards
What are the common cardiac conditions?
Coronary heart disease Angina pectoris Acute coronary syndrome Heart failure Cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart)
What are the risk factors for CHD?
Smoking High blood pressure High blood cholesterol Diabetes Being physically inactive Being overweight or obese Family history of heart disease Ethnic background Sex Age
What is angina pectoris?
Ischemic chest pain due to a reduction of the blood supply to the myocardium, caused by narrowing of the cardiac arteries due to CHD
What are the signs and symptoms of angina pectoris?
Tends to occur on exertion or during emotional stress
Pain behind sternum running the length of the bone and spreading across the chest
Pain sometimes radiating to jaw, throat, teeth, and arms
Short, sharp breathing
Variable pulse
Pallor/nausea
Pain subsides with rest (stable angina)
What is the general treatment for angina?
DR ABC
Place patient at rest
Help to reduce workload of the heart (stop patient walking and moving excessively)
Consider GTN
Analgesia as required
ECG
Aspirin should only be considered if there is clinical or ECG evidence of MI or ischaemia.
What is heart failure
A condition that occurs due to failure of the heart to pump adequately
Can be either
Left ventricular failure (LVF)
Right ventricular failure (RVF)
Or
Congestive cardiac failure (CCF) - a combination of LVF and RVF
What are the 3 most common causes of heart failure?
Myocardial Infarction
Hypertension
Cardiomyopathy
What are other causes of heart failure?
Heart valve problems
Alcohol or recreational drugs
Arrhythmia (uncontrolled irregular heart rhythm)
Congenital heart conditions (born with them)
Viral infection affecting heart muscle
What are the 3 common symptoms in heart failure?
Fatigue
Dyspnoea
Congestion
What are the other signs and symptoms of heart failure?
Peripheral oedema -RVF Pulmonary oedema - LVF then RVF eventually Worsening cough Pink frothy sputum (blood stained) Waking at night gasping for breath Breathlessness on lying down Anxiousness/restlessness
What is pulmonary oedema?
As a result of reduced cardiac output and increasing pulmonary hypertension
- fine crackles on listening to the lungs
- coughing up frothy sputum, white or pink (stained blood) in colour
What is peripheral oedema?
It’s due to reduced right ventricular output and increasing systemic congestion
- increase in the accumulation of fluid in the interstitial spaces
- commonly in the legs or sacrum
What is cardiomyopathy?
This is an enlarged heart
What is Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)?
It is when your coronary arteries (the arteries that supply your heart muscle with oxygen rich blood) become narrowed by a gradual build up of fatty material within their walls
This condition is called atherosclerosis and the fatty material is called Atheroma.
