CV disorders Flashcards
What defines heart failure?
Heart unable to maintain adequate circulation for metabolic requirements of body
Preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF): EF ≥ 50%, ↓ diastolic function
Reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF): EF ≤ 40%, ↓ systolic function
What are the underlying causes of heart failure?
Secondary to cardiac damage (ischaemia, myopathy), hypertension, valve disease
What are the signs+symptoms of heart failure and what tests are used to diagnose it?
Exertional dyspnoea
Blood test: elevated brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)
Chest X-ray: cardiomegaly
What does the ECG of someone with heart failure look like?
Enlarged QRS
What treatment options are there for heart failure?
Drugs that reduce exertional pressure on the heart
Give the definitions of atrial fibrillation and wolff-parkinson-white syndrome
AF:Disorganised electrical activity and contraction
WPW:Additional accessory conduction pathway (the bundle of Kent) between the atria and ventricles
Give the underlying cause of AF
Spontaneously active cells throughout the atria
Give the underlying cause of WPW syndrome
Presence of additional accessory conduction pathway (the bundle of Kent) between the atria and ventricles
What are the signs and symptoms of AF and WPW
Palpitations & chest pain
What does an AF ECG look like?
Absent p waves and an irregularly irregular rhythm
What does a WPW syndrome ECG look like?
QRS pre-excitation & biphasic/ inverted T-wave of ECG
What is the treatment for AF
Strategies to maintain sinus rhythm (e.g. cardioversion, anti-arrhythmics, catheter ablation)
What is the treatment for WPW syndrome?
Benign-No treatment needed/given
What occurs in first degree heart block?
Slowing down of conduction through AV node
What occurs in second degree heart block
Reduced transmission from atria to ventricles