Heart & Blood vessels Flashcards
What is heart failure?
caused by the heart failing to pump enough blood around the body at the right pressure.
What is a syndrome?
- caused by multiple things
- look for signs and symptoms and not disease itself
What happens when the heart does not pump as effectively as it should?
- oedema - pulmonary (water in the lungs) and peripheral (in the legs normally)
- tiredness
What can cause your heart not to pump properly?
- ischaemic heart disease (dead tissue/ fibrosis after heart attack)
- hypertension
- valvular heart disease
- arrhythmias
- congenital heart disease
Why may hypertension cause heart failure? (brief explanation)
- more pressure the more difficult it is
- puts pressure on heart
- make muscle get bigger and become effective
- will wear the heart out
initially when the heart fails it starts to compensate, what is happening though?
- leads to cardiac hypertrophy
- leads to dilation
- eventual inability to maintain normal function (this is when symptoms occur)
What are the signs and symptoms of cardiac failure?
- shortness of breath (fluid on lungs)
- fatigue ( pulmonary and peripheral oedema)
- fluid in lungs/ pulmonary oedema
- all over excessive fluid-filled veins (systemic venous congestion & oedema)
What is the difference between acute cardiac failure and chronic?
acute - happens quick such as after MI
Chronic - hypertension, develops over time
if left side of the heart is involved in cardiac failure what happens?
- fluid backs up into the lungs
- more pulmonary oedema and SOB
- raised jugular venous pressure
If right side of the heart is involved in cardiac failure what happen?
- fluid backs up into rest the body
- large abdomen, fluid in the legs
Congestive heart failure is were both sides of the heart are effected in heart failure. what are the effects of this?
- fluid goes into the lungs and rest of the body
In valvular heart disease what is stenosis?
- failure of valve to open completely
- harder to flow forwards
In valvular disease what is meant by incompetence/regurgitation?
- failure of valve to close
- allowing reverse flow
In valvular disease what is vegetations?
- abnormal tissue growth on valve (fibrin, platelet and bacteria)
What are the under lying causes for valvular heart disease?
- age related degeneration
- infection (endocarditis/rheumatic disease)
- after heart attack
- heart failure
- hypertension
- IV drug use
What are the symptoms/consequences with valvular heart disease?
- stroke
- arrhythmias
- ventricular hypertrophy
- angina
- syncope (fainting)
- heart failure
- infarcts to kidney and spleen
What is infective endocarditis?
when lining of heart becomes infected/inflammed
What are the causes of infective endocarditis?
- when bacteria present in the blood (anything that makes the outside world come in contact with the blood)
- mass of bacteria builds up
- common in IV drug users
What side of the is affected in IV drug users?
- right side
- left side in others
What examination would show endocarditis?
echo scan
What are the clinical presentations of endocarditis?
- sepsis
- heart failure
- new murmur
What is pericarditis and myocarditis ?
myo (muscle) - muscle inflamed
peri (means outside) - outside of heart inflamed
- can be caused by anything that may cause inflammation to the heart (ie radiation)
*In cardiomyopathy (disease of heart muscle) a category of this is dilated, what does this mean?
- when its stretched so contraction is noit as good
eg. myocarditis, alcohol, sarcoid
*In cardiomyopathy (disease of heart muscle) a category of this is hypertrophic, what does this mean?
wall of ventrical becomes thicker and therefore does not work as effectively
eg. storage disease
