CVS 6 Arrthymias And CVS Drugs Flashcards
What is the primary mechanism by which GTN spray alleviates myocardial ischaemia in a patient with stable angina?
Dilation of systemic veins
Causes of tachycardia
- ectopic pacemaker activity - damaged area of myocardium takes over from SAN
- afterdepolarisations - abnormal depolarisations following the AP
- atrial flutter/atrial fibrillation
-
re-entry loop - conduction delay
- accessory pathway
Causes of bradycardia
- sinus bradycardia - SAN does depolarise quick enough - Sick sinus syndrome
- Drugs e.g. B blockers, Ca2+ channel blockers
- conduction block - issue at AVN or bundle of His
Types of tachycardias
Ventricular
Supraventricular - above ventricles
Does hypokalaemia or hyperkalaemia cause early after depolarisations?
Hypokalaemia - delays repolarisation»_space; can cause early after depolarisations
When are early after depolarisations more likely to occur?
When AP is prolonged
(Longer QT interval)
When are delayed after depolarisations more likely to occur?
If intracellular Ca2+ conc is high
What happens in incomplete conduction damage?
Excitation can take longer route to spread the wrong way through damaged area
This sets up a circus of excitation
What happens in AV nodal re-entry?
Fast and slow pathways in the AVN create a re-entry loop
Ventricles stimulated too soon
What happens in ventriuclar pre-excitation?
Example of where this is seen
An accessory pathway between atria and ventricles
creates a re-entry loop
e.g. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
What causes atrial fibrillation?
Multiple small re-entry loops in the atria
What are the 4 classes of anti-arrhythmic drugs?
- drugs that block voltage gated Na+ channel
- antagonists of B-adrenoreceptors (B blockers)
- drugs that block K+ channels
- drugs that block Ca2+ channels
Mechanism of lidocaine
- Blocks voltage gated Na+ channel when open or inactive state
- Blocks VGNC in damaged myocardium spontaneously depolarising after AP»_space; prevents initiation of another AP
- dissociates quickly
What can lidocaine be used for?
Ventricular tachycardia
Example of drugs which blocks voltage gated Na+ channels
lidocaine
Suffix of Beta blockers
-olol
How do beta blockers work?
Effect on SAN + AVN
- Block sympathetic action - B1 adrenoreceptors in heart
- which decreases heart rate due to:
- Decreases slope of pacemaker potential in SAN
- Slows Conduction at AVN by reducing voltage gated Ca2+ channel activity in upstroke of AP
When can B blockers be used?
Prevent supraventriclar tachycardia
Atrial fibrillation
Following myocardial infarction
To reduce O2 demand - reduces myocardial ischamia
Heart failure
How are beta blockers useful after a myocardial infarction?
- MI often increases sympathetic activity - B blockers block sympathetic activity
- increased sympathetic activity can cause arrhythmias
- prevent ventricular arrhythmias
How fast does lidocaine dissociate and what is the importance of this?
<0.5ms
- Bound long enough to prevent inappropriate depolarisations + dissociates in time for next AP
- This means myocardium can depolarise normally + heart beats efficiently