Dz of the Pulmonary Artery & the Pleural Space Flashcards
Pulmonary Hypertension occurs if
> 30 mm Hg
Mild hypertension is considered…
30-55 mmHg
Moderate hypertension is considered
56-79 mmHg
Severe pulmonary hypertension is considered when…
> 80 mmHg
Explain the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension.
What are the 6 main groups used to classify pulmonary hypertension?
- Arterial dz (idiopathic pulm hypertension, congenital L-R shunts)
- L Heart dz (L-sided valvular heart dz, L-sided cardiomyopathy)
- Resp Dz/Hypoxia (chronic obstructive pulm dz, interstitial lund dz, alveolar hypoventilation disorders)
- Pulmonary thromboembolism (pulm thromboembolism, neoplasia)
- Parasitic (Dirofilaria, Angiostrongylus)
- Multifactorial
What are clinical signs of pulmonary hypertension?
- secondary to underlying dz
- secondary to pulmonary hypertension –> resp distress, exercise intolerance
- heart sounds (+/- tricuspid murmur or split S2)
What clinical findings are secondary to and strongly suggestive of pulmonary hypertension?
- syncope w/o any other identifiable cause
- respiratory distress at rest
- activity or exercise terminating in respiratory distress
- R-sided heart failure - cardiogenic ascites
What clinical findings are secondary to and possibly suggestive of pulmonary hypertension?
- tachypnea at rest
- increased respiratory effort at rest
- prolonged exercise or post-activity tachypnea
- cyanotic or pale MMs
How does an echocardiogram help diagnose pulmonary hypertension?
- Looks for tricuspid regurgitation to estimate systolic pressure
- Pulmonic regurgitation to estimate diastolic pressure
- modified bernoulli equation +/- RV remodeling
What additional tests can be used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension?
- Rads/CT
- Haematology & biochemistry
- Heartworm/F. Heartworm
- Bronchoscopy
- BAL
What txt is there for pulmonary hypertension?
- exercise restriction
- treat underlying cause
- phosphodiesterase inhibitor - Sildenafil
Pulmonary thromboembolism is the obstruction of…
pulmonary vessel (s) by a blood clot
Explain Virchow’s Triad and how it relates to pulmonary thromboembolism.
- Endothelial injury: Neoplasia, sepsis, indwelling venous catheters, pancreatitis, other inflammatory diseases
- Hypercoagulability: protein-losing nephropathy, protein-losing enteropathy, hyperadrenocorticism, dirofilariasis, IMHA
- Abnormal blood flow: cardiac dz, trauma w/ crush injury, neoplasia
What clinical signs may occur with pulmonary thromboembolism?
Acute on initial presentation, dyspnoea, tachypnea, lethargy, C, haemoptysis, cyanosis, death
Clinical signs are dependent upon…
degree of thrombosis
underlying cause
What tests could you do to diagnose pulmonary thromboembolism?
- Blood gas analysis
- Rads
- PT/PTT
- TEG
- D-dimers
- CT
- Echo
Txt is critical for pulmonary thromboembolisms because…
it has a high mortality rate because p will continue to throw clots around the body, including to critical organs
What txt should be used for supportive txt of pulmonary thromboembolism?
- Oxygen therapy
- pulmonary hypertension –> Sildenafil
- Bronchodilators –> Methylxanthines
What drugs are used to prevent further thrombus?
Anticoagulants - Clopidogrel, LMWH
Thrombolytic agents are not recommended because o the risk of bleeding
Where do the adult stages of Dirofilaria immitis live?
Heart & pulmonary artery
Adult worms of Dirofilaria immitis cause…
inflammation, vascular dysfxn, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thromboembolism
What is Wolbachia?
A symbiotic bacteria with Dirofilaria immitis