Nursing mgmt of disorders of cardiac oxygenation and perfusion: Unstable angina, ACS, AMI, CAD Flashcards
Acute coronary Syndrome (ACS)
Umbrella term when blood supply to the heart becomes limited or blocked
* Decreased supply/ increased demand of blood= Heart not happy causing pain
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* Blockage is usually due to a blood clot and can be sudden and complete
* If clot forms due to plaque rupture, part of the clot may break away and block on of the coronary arteries causing the ACS
* Less commonly a spasm within the coronary artery can limit blood flow causing ACS
What is included in ACS
- Angina
- Non-ST elevation MI
- ST elevation MI
ACS due to a vasospasm
Often occurs due to drug use. Can spontaneously resolve
Cause of ACS
Imbalance between myocardial O2 supply and O2 demand
- When the blood flow to the heart is compromised, Ischemia causes chest pain, angina
What is anginal pain described as
- Tight squeezing
- Heavy pressure
- Constricting feeling on the chest
- Radiates to the jaw, neck or arm
- Elephant on the chest
Women and older adults and Diabetics may not experience the typical symptoms that are associated with MI or Angina
What differs MI from Angina
Chest pain that is unrelieved from
* Rest (stable)
* Nitro
* Lasting 15 minutes or more
Atherosclerosis
Deposition of fatty deposits onto the walls of arteries leading to hardening of the arteries. This both limits blood flow and limiting artery movement
* The lumen of the arteries can then become entirely blocked leading reduced blood flow to the heart leading to ACS
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* Leading cause of death around the world
Stable angina
- Also known as exertional angina
- Occurs with exercise or emotional stress
- NOT Associated with nausea, epigastric distress, dyspnea, anxiety, diaphoresis
What relieves stable angina
Rest or nitro
Should resolve within 15 min
Unstable angina
- Also known as pre-infarction angina
- Occurs with exercise OR rest
- But Increases in occurrence, severity, duration overtime
Occurs often due to a rupture of a plaque, with a clot forming on top the lesion, but the artery is only partially occluded
What relieves unstable angina
Nitro and time
NOT relieved by rest
Variant angina
Prinzmetal’s angina
* Due to a CA spasm, often occurring at rest
* Can occur due to drug use. can spontaneously resolve
Normal EF
55-65%
Exercise stress test
Dont need to know
Walking on a treadmill, hooked up to a monitor. This is done to make your heart beat harder. EKG is used to observe for abnormalities or ischemia/ watching for pt S+S (CP, SOB)
If you are unable to exercise meds are given instead to make your heart beat faster/harder
Positive test means more testing needs to be done (Nuclear)
Nuclear stress test
- Nuclear contrast is used to take images of your heart at rest and exercising which are then compared
- Cardiologist compares the amount of blood flow through the arteries and to the muscle at rest and exercising
Anginal pain locations
Jaw, chest, neck, shoulders, back, arms
Pretty much anywhere
Risk factors for Coronary artery disease (CAD)
- Male/ post menopausal women
- Sedentary lifestyle
- HTN
- Dyslipidemia
- Tobacco use
- Obesity
- Excessive ETOH use
- Family history
- Metabolic disorders (DM, hyperthyroid)
- Meth or coke use
Myocardial infarction (MI)
- May occur without cause in the morning or after rest
- Relieved only by opiods (pain)
- Manifestations last longer than 30 min
- Associated with nausea, epigastric distress, dypnea, anxiety, diaphoresis
Goals to treat unstable angina
Decrease O2 demand
Increase O2 supply
Meds given to treat unstable angina
- Nitro
- Aspirin (ASA)
- Beta blockers (BB)
- Statins
- Antiplatelets
- Anticoagulants
- Glycoprotein llb/llla inhibitors
Acute MI
- Plaque ruptures and thrombus formation occurs
- This completely occludes the artery
- This causing ischemia and necrosis of the myocardium that was supplied by that vessel
Etiology of acute MI
- Atherosclerotic plaque formation
- Inflammatory response
- Thrombus formation
- Platelet aggregation
- Decreased O2 delivery through the coronary arteries
- Decreased O2 to the myocardium
- Ischemic cascade (Sequence of events)
- Cell death to the myocardium
- MI
Left anterior descending (main) artery
- Supplies the anterior side of the heart
- “Widowmaker”
- If this becomes occluded you’re kinda screwed
Circumflex artery
Goes around the circumference of the heart
Right coronary artery
Supplies the RV, RA and SA and AV nodes
Physical assessment of acute MI
- Pale, cool and clammy
- Tachycardia
- Tachypnea
- Diaphoretic
- N+V
- Decreased LOC
- Or none, women and elderly people can present entirely different
Subjective reporting of acute MI
- Anxiety, feeling of impending doom
- CP w/wo radiation, substernal or precordial
- Crushing or aching pressure on the chest
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Women can have atypical angina with pain, beneath shoulders, ache in jaw area, or sensation of choking with exertion
Diagnosis of the type of ACS: Unstable angina, EKG/Biomarkers
- Pt has S+S of coronary ischemia but EKG and biomarkers show no evidence of MI
Non ST elevation Myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)
- Pt has elevated biomarkers (Troponin)
- No evidence on the EKG of an acute MI
- May be less damage to the myocardium
ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)
- EKG shows ST elevation, indicating an acute MI
- Needs to be shown in 2/12 leads
- Can indicate significant myocardial damage is happening
- STEMI means the infarction is occurring now
Time is muscle
Is ischemia reversible
- Yes, infarction is not reversible however so you want to catch it before it progresses
- When cardiac muscle suffers injury, cardiac enzymes are released into the bloodstream which are biomarkers for MI
Myocardial Ishemia
Abrupt interruption of O2 to the heart produces myocardial ischemia, which can lead to infarction
MI, area of infarction development
- Infarction develops over minutes to hours
- Early recognition and treatment of an acute MI are needed to prevent death
- Time is muscle
Cardiac Markers: Myoglobin
- Earliest marker of injury to cardiac or skeletal muscle
- Levels are no longer evident after 24 hours
Cardiac Markers: Creatine kinase-MB
- Peaks at 24 hours or after after onset of CP
- Levels are no longer evident after 3 days
Cardiac Markers: Troponin I
- Any positive value indicates damage to the cardiac tissue, is a concern and needs to be reported
- Levels are no longer evident after 7-10 days
Cardiac Markers: Troponin T
- A protein that is found in cardiac muscle, usual levels are super low (0-0.04 nanograms per ml). which makes it difficult to test with standard equipment. Troponin T test is highly sensitive
- Any positive value indicates damage to the cardiac tissue, is a concern and needs to be reported, 14 ng/L indicates heart dmg or a heart attack is likely
- Levels are no longer evident after 10-14 days
What level of troponin T indicates heart dmg or a MI is imminent
14 ng/L and above
How soon should an ECG be done after arriving to the ER
10 Min after arriving to the ER or reporting pain
P wave
Atrial contraction
P wave
Atrial contraction
QRS complex
Contraction of the ventricles