Intro to case Flashcards
What does PC stand for
Presenting complaint
What does HPC stand for
History of presenting complaint
What does PMH stand for
Past medical history
What does FH stand for
Family history
What does SH stand for
Social history
What does DH stand for
drug history
What does CXR stand for
chest x ray
What does RR stand for
Respiratory rate
What does FBC stand for
Full blood count
What does U and E stand for
Urea and electrolytes
What does LFT stand for
Liver function tests
What does TFT stand for
Thyroid function tests
What is HbA1c
Checks for diabetes
List the different types of AF
- Atrial fibrillation
- First diagnosed AF
- Paroxysmal AF
- Persistent AF
- Long standing persistent AF
- Permanent AF
Where does AF occur
Supraventricular tachycardia, occurring above ventricles
Usually originates from left atrium
Define AF
Arrhythmia that originates from the atria of the heart, resulting in ECG changes with an irregularly irregular heart rhythm and loss of p waves
What is first diagnosed AF
AF that has not been diagnosed before, irrespective of the duration of the arrhythmia or the presence and severity of AF related symptoms
What is paroxysmal AF
Self terminating, in most cases within 48 hours.
Some AF paroxysms may continue for up to 7 days.
Af episodes that are cardioverted within 7 days should be considered paroxysmal
What is persistent AF
AF that lasts longer than 7 days, including episodes that are terminated by cardioversion, either with drugs or by direct current cardioversion, after 7 days or more
What is longstanding persistent AF
Continuous AF lasting for over 1 year when it is decided to adopt a rhythm control strategy
what is permenant AF
AF that is accepted by the patient
Rhythm control interventions are not pursued in patients with permanent AF, and should a rhythm control strategy be adopted, the arrhythmia would be reclassified as longstanding persistent AF
How is AF diagnosed
- Heart rate/rhythm radial pulse check
- adults normal resting heart rate is between 60-100 bpm and a regular pattern of beats - Heart tracing/ECG to confirm diagnosis
Why is it important to treat AF
- Patient may be symptomatic/asymptomatic
- May be a reason or treatable underlying cause
- AF increases risk of stroke x5
- Untreated patients with AF who have a stroke, tend to have more fatal or debilitating strokes
Explain how AF increases the risk of strokes
Blood is not flowing smoothly around the atrium, as the atria is fibrillating. This tends to lead to clot formation, typically in left atrium and left atrial appendage
The clot breaks off and will travel around circulation and as the pipe gets narrower, it gets too large to travel down the vessel.
This causes blockage, so no blood flow or oxygen can reach the brain which causes an ischaemic stroke
