Heart Infections Flashcards by Alyssa Barker

What is Pericarditis?

Inflammation of the pericardial sac (surrounds the heart)

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What is the cause of pericarditis? (Etiology)

Viral and/or autoimmune

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Is pericarditis chronic, acute, or both?

Chronic and acute

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What are the signs and symptoms of pericarditis?

Sharp chest pain- relieved by sitting up right, worsened by coughing and lying supine, dyspnea, fever, sweating, chills, and dysrhythmias

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How can you diagnosis pericarditis?

serum studies (high white blood cells and positive blood culture), ST segment changes, and echocardiography

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How do you manage pericarditis?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids, antibiotics, oxygen, pericardiocentesis

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What are the nursing interventions for pericarditis?

Manage pain and anxiety- keep patient in semi/high fowlers position, assess respirations, cardiac, and renal status every 1-2 hours

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What is myocarditis?

inflammatory condition caused by an infection, serum sickness, rheumatic fever, or chemical agent

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What is the cause of myocarditis? (etiology)

Usually caused by an acute virus; can be chronic or acute

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What are the signs and symptoms of myocarditis?

Fatigue, dyspnea, palpitations, chest soreness, persistent fever, murmur, S3 gallop, tachycardia, joint pain/swelling

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What are the signs and symptoms of CHF?

peripheral edema, weight gain, and crackles in the lung

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How do you diagnose myocarditis?

ECG, labs (ESR, troponin, creatine kinase)

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What labs are used to diagnosis myocarditis?

Increased troponin, increased creatine kinase, ESR

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How do you manage myocarditis?

pharmacological and oxygen

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What medications are used to treat myocarditis?

antibiotics, corticosteroids, analgesics, ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, vasodilators, digoxin

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What are the nursing interventions for myocarditis?

Look for changes in vitals, watch for signs of fluid overload, monitor ABG’s, and monitor for lightheadedness, activity intolerance, fatigue, and dyspnea with exertion

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What are signs of fluid overload in myocarditis?

Orthopnea, peripheral edema, weight gain, crackles in lungs, JVD, heart murmur

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What is orthopnea?

Difficulty breathing while lying flat

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What is peripheral edema?

Swelling of the tissues, usually the lower extremities

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What client/family teaching should be done for a patient with myocarditis?

monitor and record daily weights, report a weight gain of 3 lbs or more in 2 days or 5 lbs or more in one week; avoid alcohol and competitive sports

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What is the teaching for Digoxin clients?

Check pulse 1 minute before taking the dose; withhold the medication and call your provider if your heart rate is less than 60 beats per minute; monitor for dig toxicity

What are the signs and symptoms of dig toxicity?

anorexia, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, cardiac arrhythmias

What is endocarditis?

An infection of the endocardium and/or heart valves resulting from a bacterial or fungal infection

An infection associated with endocarditis can cause what to happen?

the infection can lead to growths, which break off as embolisms and travel through the blood stream lodging in distal areas, such as the lungs, bowels, and extremities, and can lead to ischemia and necrosis

What is the cause of endocarditis? (etiology)

infection, which is most likely to seed in damaged or prosthetic heart valves, people with heart murmurs, and/ or people using illicit drugs

What 3 types of infectious organisms cause endocarditis?

group B strep, staph aureus, and fungi

What is the outcome of endocarditis?

A majority recover, prognosis is worsened with severe damage

Signs and symptoms of endocarditis

murmur, fever, chills, night sweats, fatigue, malaise, anorexia, petechiae of skin, splinter hemorrhage under nails

People with endocarditis are likely to have a history of damage to their heart valves caused by what 3 things?

rheumatic fever, murmurs, and a heart valve prosthesis

How do you diagnosis endocarditis?

health history, labs, ECG, Labs, transesophageal echocardiogram

What is the most important diagnostic test for endocarditis?

transesophageal echocardiogram because it shows vegetation on valve

What labs are taken for endocarditis?

increased WBC's, positive blood culture, elevated ESR

How do you manage endocarditis?

IV antibiotics (6 weeks or until infection resolves), antipyretics (control fever), oxygen (prevent tissue hypoxia), surgical (valve replacement)

What are the nursing interventions for endocarditis?

Monitor response to antibiotics (WBC's, fever), plan for IV home therapy, client and family teaching

What would the client and family need to be taught about endocarditis?

explain what it is, explain the need for home IV therapy, the need for prophylactic antibiotics before dental work or a major procedure, and teach the client to report signs of fever, tachycardia, dyspnea, and shortness of breath

What is rheumatic heart disease?

Damage to the heart caused by one or more episodes of rheumatic fever

What is rheumatic endocarditis?

Damage to the heart, particularly the valves, resulting in valve leakage, also known as regurgitation and/or stenosis, to compensate for the heart's enlarged chambers

Where is rheumatic endocarditis likely to occur? (place)

Developing countries with malnutrition and crowded living spaces; ages 5-15

How do you prevent rheumatic endocarditis?

identification and treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis

Malfunction of valves due to rheumatic damage can lead to what?

Heart failure

What are the signs and symptoms of rheumatic endocarditis?

polyarthritis (warm/swollen joints), high fever of 104, chills, malaise, shortness of breath, chest pains, chorea (uncoordinated jerky movements of feet, face, and hands), rash erythema- marginatum (ring like rash of trunk and extremities), subcutaneous nodules, heart murmurs, friction rub heard

Patients diagnosed with rheumatic endocarditis often have a history of having what?

streptococcal pharyngitis

What are the signs and symptoms of streptococcal pharyngitis?

sudden sore throat, swollen tender lymph nodes around the jaw, headache, and fever of 104

How is rheumatic endocarditis diagnosed?

ASO titer (increased), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (increased), throat culture (positive for streptococci), WBC (increased)

How do you manage rheumatic endocarditis?

Pharmacological & surgical

What are some of the pharmacological methods to manage rheumatic endocarditis?

analgesics (pain/inflammation), oxygen (prevent tissue hypoxia), and antibiotics

What are the surgical procedures used for rheumatic endocarditis?

valvuloplasty, commissurotomy, and prosthetic heart valve

What are the nursing interventions for rheumatic endocarditis?

monitor cardiac complications, resolution of infection, and help the client with cholera grasp objects to prevent falls

What is the teaching for the patient and family of rheumatic endocarditis?

resume activities of daily living slowly, report penicillin reaction (rash, fever, chills), report streptococcal infection, avoid exposure to people with respiratory infections, and explain long term antibiotics

What are some findings of a streptococcal infection?

sudden sore throat, redness, exudate, swollen/tender lymph glands, pain on swallowing, temp 101-104, headache, and nausea