Lecture 4: failing heart Flashcards
Describe the pressure-volume loop of the heart
- End-systolic volume means lowest pressure and volume; mitral valve opens
- Ventricles fill but pressure stays the same
- End-diastolic volume, mitral valve closes
- Isovolumetric contraction
- Aortic valve opens, ventricular ejection
- Aortic valve closes, isovolumetric relaxation
What factors determine the size of an infarct?
- The size of the area at risk
- Level of collateral flow
- Duration of ischaemia
- Rate of cell death
What is the benefit of ischaemic preconditioning?
Slows down the rate at which cells die
Ischaemia for short time, re-perfusion, ischaemia etc etc until you have a longer pathological period of ischaemia
In ischaemic injury, how can cells survive for a prolonged period of time?
High levels of anaerobic ATP
After around 10 minutes, glycogen runs out and ATP levels drop and cells will start to die and apoptise
How do biomarkers for ACS develop?
When the cardiac cell membrane ruptures soluble proteins leak out into the circulation. Circulating cardiac-specific proteins such as troponin (cTnI and cTnT) or cMyC used as biomarkers for the number of myocytes killed (infarct size)
Explain the progression of an infarct
- Subendocardial area first
- “Wavefront” of death spreads transmurally toward the epicardium
- > After 3 hours, all necrotic tissue has developed - The transmural wave spreads
When is interventiion during ACS useful?
In the first 2-3 hours, afterwards there is very little benefit
What are the main causes of heart failure?
- Pressure overload
- Volume overload
- Contractile dysfunction
What can cause pressure overload?
- Hypertension
- Aortic stenosis
What can cause volume overload?
Aortic and mitral valve regurgitation
What can cause contractile dysfunction?
- Ischaemic heart disease
- Myocardial infarction
- Pregnancy
- Inherited or acquired cardiomyopathies
What are the main types of inherited cardiomyopathies?
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (problem with cytoskeletal proteins)
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (problems with sarcomeric proteins)
- Arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (problems with desmosomal proteins)
What are the symptoms of mitral stenosis?
Palpitations
Murmurs
Dyspnoea
Heart failure
What are the symptoms of aortic stenosis?
Chest pain
Murmurs
Dyspnoea
Heart failure
What are the symptoms of mitral regurg?
Murmurs
Dyspnoea
Heart failure
What are the symptoms of aortic regurg?
Murmurs
Dyspnoea
Heart failure
What is the main cause of mitral stenosis?
Rheumatic heart disease