heart failure Flashcards
What usually leads to impaired cardiac function?
Altered chamber size
Altered functioning muscle
Cardiac output (volume delivered per minute) =
SV x HR
What is the fraction that gets ejected from the heart? (eg the fraction of total volume available)
Ejection fraction
What is ejection fraction?
Fraction ejected from heart in a single beat from the total volume available (EDV)
How do you calculate ejection fraction?
Stroke volume / end diastolic volume (filled ventricle)N
Normal stroke volume and ventricular capactity
SV - 70-75ml
Ventricle capacity - 110-150 ml
Normal ejection fraction
> 50%
Usually 60-70% (2/3)
How is stroke volume increased? (made bigger)
Increasing preload (increases stretch on ventricle just before contraction) Increasing myocardial contractility Decreasing afterload (TPR)
How is an increase in demand met by the heart?
Increase HR
Increase stroke volume
How does preload increase stroke volume?
Increase EDV increases stretch on ventricles
More stretch during diastole = increase stroke volume in systole
= increase cardiac output
What is an intrinsic property of cardiac myocytes?
Greater they are stretched the greater their contractility (force of contraction)
…up to a point
Relationship between myocardial contractility and stroke volume
Contractility improves with greater stretch (greater EDV) and increased sympathetic activity
What else occurs during increased sympathetic activity that could affect cardiac output
Increased afterload (increased pressure that the heart is pumping against)
What is heart failure?
Its a Clinical syndrome of:
reduced cardiac output
tissue hypoperfusion
increased pulmonary pressures
tissue congestion
-arising from problems with ventricular filling and/or emptying
Most common cause of heart failure
Ischaemic heart disease
Other causes of heart failure
Hypertension
Valvular disease (eg aortic stenosis)
Cardiomyopathies (hypertrophic/dilated)
Arrhythmias
Rare causes heart failure
Increased demand of cardiac output (no problem with heart, body is just demanding too much)
eg:
sepsis
thyrotoxicosis
What is important in heart failure?
To identify underling cause as this shapes treatment options (eg repair valve etc)
What occurs from these conditions that results in heart failure?
Re-modelling of cardiac muscle - loss of myocytes and fibrosis
Changes ventricular function, size/shape
What does remodelling result in?
Impairment of ventricular filling (chamber size)
Impairment of ventricular ejection (emptying)
Impairment of filling
Ventricles become thick walled and stiff
Impairment of ejection
Muscle thin and weak
Cannot contract with enough force/uncoordinated