Ischemic- Embolism Flashcards
What is an embolism
Clots originating from upstream travel and obstruct an artery
Where is a common source of emboli
The heart
Explain blood flow
From left atrium to left ventricle up into the aorta , up to the brain via carotid and basilar arteries
Name the first cause of an embolism
Congestive heart failure and myocardial infarction
What is ejection fraction and what is a normal ejection fraction
Volume of blood ejected from ventricles
Normal is 50 to 65%
What is impairment of ejection fraction called and what is it
Blood stasis
Pooling of blood in left ventricle
What does pooling cause
A thrombus
How does a thrombus become an embolus
Thrombus ejects into aorta and up into the brain thus becoming an embolus
What happens when an embolus is in the brain?
It breaks into smaller pieces and the larger fragments can cause significant obstruction to blood flow
What is the 2nd cause of an embolus
Atrial fibrillation
What is atrial fibrillation
Where the atrial chamber quivers at a much higher rate than the ventricles so ejection fraction is impaired
Blood is slowed in the appendage which causes a thrombus to form, detach, be ejected into the aorta and up into the brain as an embolus. Then fragments and obstructs
What is the 3rd cause of an embolus
Endocarditis
What is endocarditis
Bacteria in the blood stream
What happens with endocarditis
Organisms travel through the heart and attach to valves
Vegetation form and detach, up into the aorta and up to the brain
