Ischaemia, Infarction and Shock Flashcards
How do hypoxia and ischaemia differ?
Hypoxia: when the oxygen supply to the tissues is impaired but other metabolites (e.g. glucose) are still available Ischaemia: the interruption/disturbance of blood flow to cells and tissues which reduces O2 supply AND metabolites Ischaemia ALWAYS results in hypoxia but hypoxia can occur without ischaemia (e.g. anaemia)
In ischaemia, does glycolytic anaerobic respiration occur?
No - it fails due to lack of glucose
Build up of metabolites impairs anaerobic respiration further
Does ischaemia or hypoxia injure tissues faster/more severely?
Ischaemia - failure of glycolytic anaerobic respiration
What happens if ischaemia is prolonged?
Cell death
What is individual cell death in ischaemic injury called?
Necrosis
What is tissue necrosis caused by ischaemia called?
Infarction I.e. infarction is ischaemia (inadequate blood supply) leading to cell death (necrosis) Ischaemia = cause Infarction = effect
Mechanisms of ischaemic cell injury:
- ↓Oxidative phosphorylation
- Switch to anaerobic respiration
- Failure of Na pump
- Membrane damage
- Failure of Ca pump
- ↓Protein synthesis
What does decreased oxidative phosphorylation due to ischaemia result in?
Reduced ATP
What does a switch to anaerobic respiration due to ischaemia result in?
- Increased lactate - Glycogen stores eventually depleted: even anaerobic eventually fails
What does a failure of the Na pump due to ischaemia result in?
Accumulation of Na
What does membrane damage due to ischaemia result in?
- Leakage of intracellular proteins out of cell - Enzymic digestion of cell
What does failure of Ca pump due to ischaemia result in?
Influx of Ca
What does increased lactate indicate?
Non-specific marker of ischaemia –> lactate rises as damage increases
What are clinical markers of ischaemia?
- Lactate - Creatine Kinase, Troponins - Transaminases, Alk phosphate
What does a rise in Creatine Kinase and Troponins indicate?
Ischaemic cardiac muscle damage
What does a rise in Transaminases and Alk phosphate indicate?
Ischaemic liver damage
What is the biggest cause of ischaemia?
Vascular occlusion seen in: - (Severe) atherosclerosis - Thrombosis - Embolism - Hyperviscosity (rare)
Other causes of ischaemia:
- Vasospasm - Vascular damage - Extrinsic compression - Mechanical interruption - Hypoperfusion
What is a vasospasm?
The narrowing of the arteries caused by a persistent contraction of the blood vessels - reduces blood flow
Who might you see vasopasms present in?
In the setting of cocaine use: cocaine induces spasms of coronary arteries so there is reduction of blood supply to myocardial tissue
What are examples of vascular damage that may trigger ischaemia?
- Vasculitis - Rupture; AAA
What can cause extrinsic compression that may trigger ischaemia?
Tumour
What can cause mechanical interruption that may trigger ischaemia?
- Volvulus - Intussusception - Torsion
What are potential causes for hypoperfusion?
- Cardiac failure
- Cardiac malformation
What are the variables that the outcome in ischaemia depends on?
- The nature of blood supply
- The duration of ischaemia
- The rate of vascular occlusion
- Tissue vulnerability
- The blood oxygen content
How would an alternative blood supply affect the outcome of ischaemia?
An alternative blood supply means less damage –> tissues with a dual vascular supply are generally resistant to infarction of a single vessel
Example of dual vascular supply in lungs?
Pulmonary and bronchial arteries
Example of dual vascular supply in the liver?
Hepatic artery and portal vein
Example of dual vascular supply in the hand?
Radial and ulnar artery
Why are the kidney, spleen and testes more vulnerable to infarction?
Have end-arterial circulations (one artery supplies one region)
If ischaemia is limited/short duration, can the cell injury be reversed?
Yes - initial 30 mins tends to be reversible
Rapid restoration of blood flow is critical
What is the ‘golden hour’?
Period of time in which intervention for ischaemia is critical
Are slow developing vascular occlusions more or less likely to infarct tissues? Why?
Less likely - as allows time for development of alternative perfusion pathways (collateral supply)
How can infarction in the heart be avoided due to collateral supply?
◦ Small anastomoses normally connect the major branches of the coronary artery system and have minimal flow
◦ If a coronary arterial branch is slowly occluded flow can be directed through these channels.
◦ Infarction can be avoided even if the main arterial branch is totally occluded.
In the brain, if a neurone is deprived of its blood supply, how long does it take to undergo irreversible cell damage ?
3-4 minutes –> very vulnerable
In the heart, if a cardiac myocyte is deprived of its blood supply, how long does it take to undergo irreversible cell damage?
20-30 minutes
In the heart, if a cardiac fibroblast is deprived of its blood supply, how long does it take to undergo irreversible cell damage ?
Hours –> less vulnerable
What is the vulnerability of a cell determined by?
How metabolically active the cell is
How can the blood oxygen content affect the outcome of ischaemia?
Reduced O2 in the blood (e.g. anaemia) leaves you more vulnerable to infarction
What are the 2 types of necrosis seen in ischaemia?
- Coagulative necrosis
- Liquefactive/colliquative necrosis
Which type of necrosis is the most common?
Coagulative
What characterises coagulative necrosis?
A type of accidental cell death mainly caused by ischaemia
- Leads to protein denaturation (includes enzymes), so they are unable to break down the cell structure
- Basis of dead cells are preserved for at least a couple of days –> eosinophilic ‘ghost cells’
- Tissue remains firm
What are the dead cells in coagulative necrosis referred to as?
Eosinophilic ‘ghost’ cells