Lecture 2 8/21/24 Flashcards
What aspects of patient history are important for cardiology?
-signalment
-exercise intolerance
-cough
-respiratory distress
-syncope
In which species is cough potentially associated with heart failure?
dogs and horses
Which cause of respiratory distress is most important in cardiology?
pulmonary edema
What is syncope?
transient loss of consciousness caused by cerebral hypoperfusion
What are the two types of syncope?
-cardiac syncope
-reflex-mediated syncope
What is cardiac syncope?
dysfunction of the heart causes transient drop in blood pressure
What is reflex-mediated syncope?
-increase in sympathetic tone results in vagal discharge
-heart rate plummets and vascular resistance decreases due to vasodilation
What are the types of situational syncope?
-tussive syncope/coughing
-deglutition syncope/swallowing
-micturition syncope/urinating
-orthostatic hypotension (people only)
How does syncope differ from seizure?
syncope:
-possible exercise association
-rapid onset with no proceeding signs
-flaccid with occasional brief clonic movements
-brief duration
-rapid recovery
seizure:
-no exercise association
-possible proceeding signs
-tetanic +/- clonus
-variable duration
-possible prolonged recovery
How does Holter monitoring differ from event recording?
-Holter monitoring is 24-48 hours of continuous ECG monitoring
-event monitoring is activated manually when an event occurs
What are the most important characteristics of arterial pulse?
-amplitude/strength
-quality/contour
What determines arterial pulse strength?
pulse pressure (systolic - diastolic)
What are the determinants of pulse pressure?
-stroke volume***
-aortic distensibility
-resistance to flow
-end-diastolic volume of the arteries
-heart rate
What causes weak arterial pulse?
small stroke volume associated with hypovolemia
What causes absent arterial pulse?
-obstruction due to thromboembolism
-artifact/not palpating correct area
