Heart Failure Presentation and Investigations Flashcards
Definition of Heart Failure
a clinical syndrome comprising of dyspnoea, fatigue or fluid retention due to cardiac dysfunction, either at rest or on exertion, with accompanying neurohormonal activation
What is neurohormonal activation
Defence mechanisms designed to preserve arterial volume and circulatory homeostasis during periods of low cardiac output. This includes the sympathetic system, RAAS and vasopressin
Is HF the final diagnosis? why
No, needs to qualified by the underlying structural abnormality
Increasing risk of CHF (7)
Treatment of AMI Ageing population Hypertension CHD Obesity Diabetes HLP
Decreasing risk of CHF (6)
HLP Hypertension CHD Diabetes Obesity Treatment of CHF
What group of diseases does HF have a similar mortality to?
Cancers
Heart Failure Hospital Admissions (8)
- Acute breathlessness
- Stable HF
- Acute MI/unstable angina
- Rapid atrial fibrillation
- Asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction
- Ventricular arrhythmia
- Cardiogenic shock
- Cardiac arrest
What 3 things are needed for a diagnosis
- Symptoms or signs of HF
- Objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction
- Response to therapy (diuretics)
Symptoms of HF (4)
- Breathlessness
- Fatigues
- Oedema
- Reduced exercise capacity
Signs of HF (6)
- Oedema
- Tachycardia
- Raised JVP
- Chest crepitations
- 3rd heart sound
- Displaced or abnormal apex beat
What would a CXR show in HF (4)
- Cardiomegaly
- Dilation of vessels due to pressure
- Increased cardiothoracic ratio
- Pleural effusions
Objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction
- ECHO
- Radionucleotide Scan
- Left ventriculogram
- Cardiac MRI
Potential Screening tests
- 12 lead ECG
* BNP (brain (B-type) natriuretic peptide)
if 12 lead ECG is normal what is very unlikely
LVSD
BNP is elevated/reduced in heart failure?
Elevated
What are the other reasons BNP can be elevated
- AF
- Elderly
- Valve Disease
Diagnostic evaluation of patients with LVSD (8)
- Detailed history
- Exclude renal failure, anaemia
- Autoantibodies/viral serology, ferritin levels
- Exclude pheochromocytoma (neuroendocrine tumour of the medulla of the adrenal glands)
- ECG, CXR, always do ECHO
- Consider coronary angiogram if there is chest pain in younger patients
- Evaluate for ischaemia/hibernation
- Cardiac MRI
Why is an ECHO essential (7)
• Identify and quantify LV systolic dysfunction Valvular dysfunction Pericardial effusion/tamponade Diastolic dysfunction LVH Atrial/ventricular shunts/complex congenital heart defects Pulmonary hypertension/right heart dysfunction
What may a ECHO not idnetify
Constriction