CVS 9 Drugs and the CVS Flashcards
What are cardiovascular drugs used to treat?
Arrhythmias Heart failure Angina Hypertension Risk of thrombus formation
What can drugs alter in the CVS?
Rate and rhythm of heart
Force of myocardial contraction
Peripheral Resistance and blood flow
Blood volume
What are some abnormalities of heart rate or rhythm?
bradycardia atrial flutter atrial fibrillation tachycardia (ventricular and supraventricular) ventricular fibrillation
What can cause arrhythmia?
ECTOPIC PACEMAKER ACTIVITY-
damaged area of myocardium depolarises and becomes spontaneously active
latent pacemaker region activated due to ischaemia dominating SAN
AFTERDEPOLARISATIONS-abnormal depolarisations following AP (triggered activity)
RE-ENTRY LOOP conduction delay
accessory pathway
What are the two types of afterdepolarisations?
Early after-depolarisations
Delayed after-depolarisations
When do delayed after-depolarisations occur?
After the action potential
More likely if intracellular Ca2+ high
When do early after-depolarisations occur?
At point where repolarisation would normally occur
Can lead to oscillations
More likely if AP prolonged
Longer AP - longer QT
What is the re-entrant mechanism for generating arrythmias?
Normally at points where impulses move against each other they cancel.
If there is a unidirectional block, conduction cannot occur down a pathway but can go round and move back up the pathway the wrong way and create more excitation in the other direction (as myocardium wont be in refractory period by this time)
Where are re-entry loops often found?
Several small entry loops in atria which lead to atrial fibrillation
What are the 4 basic classes of anti-arrhythmic drugs?
I. Drugs blocking v-gated sodium channels
II. Antagonists of beta-andrenoceptors
III. Drugs blocking potassium channels
IV. Drugs blocking calcium channels
Give an example of a Sodium blocking drug
Lidocaine
Blocks Na+ channels in open or inactive state then dissociates in time for next AP
This stops AP from firing too soon
When is lidocaine used?
Following MI if patient has ventricular tachycardia where damaged areas of myocardium may depolarise and fire automatically.
Not used prophylactically(to prevent) following MI
What do beta-blockers(beta-adrenoceptor antagonists) do?
Block sympathetic action by acting on beta-1 adrenoceptors in heart to decrease slope of pacemaker potential in SA node
Give some examples of beta blockers
propranolol, atenolol
When are beta blockers used?
Used following MI (as MI causes increased sympathetic activity), to prevent ventricular arrhythmias (may be partly due to inc sympathetic activity)
Used to reduce O2 demand to reduce myocardial ischaemia (beneficial following MI)
Slow conduction in AV node to prevent supraventricular tachycardia
How do drugs that block K+ channels work?
Prolong action potential to lengthen the absolute refractory period
In theory prevents another AP from firing to soon but in reality can be proarrythmic so not generally used
What are drugs blocking K+ channels used for?
Used to treat tachycardia associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (re-entry loop due to extra conduction pathway)