Passmed stuff Flashcards
Most common cause of death following MI?
Ventricular fibrillation
Four weeks post MI, pulmonary oedema, ECG shows persistent ST elevation.
What is the diagnosis?
Left ventricular aneurysm
Ejection systolic murmurs
- Louder on expiration
- Aortic stenosis
- Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
- Louder on inspiration
- Pulmonary stenosis
- Atrial septal defect
Pansystolic murmurs
Mitral / tricuspid regurgitation (tricuspid becomes louder during inspiration)
Ventricular septal defect
Early diastolic murmur
Aortic / pulmonary regurgitation
Mid-late diastolic murmurs
Mitral stenosis
Severe aortic regurgitation
What is electrical alternans pathopneumonic of?
Cardiac tamponade
Classical features of cardiac tamponade
Beck’s triad
- Hypotension
- Raised JVP
- Muffled heart sounds
Cardiac tamponade managment
Urgent pericardiocentesis
Management of congestive heart failure
- 1st line: Beta-blocker and ACE inhibitor: start one drug at a time. Beta-blockers (e.g. bisoprolol) and ACE inhibitors (e.g. ramipril) have been shown to reduce mortality
- 2nd line: Aldosterone antagonist (e.g. spironolactone)
Congestive cardiac failure
Despite bisoprolol, ramirpil and spironolactone, the patient is breathless at rest
What is the most appropriate next step?
- Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
- (CRT involves biventricular pacing and forces both ventricles to contract in synchrony, thereby improving cardiac output)
- (An ICD is able to perform cardioversion, defibrillation and, in some cases, pacing)
- CRT or an ICD is generally indicated in: symptomatic patients with an ECG indicating ventricular dyssynchrony (e.g. QRS >120ms) AND LVEF <35%
- Digoxin: an alternative option, particularly for patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure due to its inotropic effects. It does not improve prognosis in patients with heart failure
- Ivabradine: an alternative option if HR >75 bpm and LVEF <35%, and the patient is already on suitable medication (e.g. bisoprolol, ramipril and spironolactone)
- Sacubitril valsartan: if LVEF <35% (will replace ACEi)
Adjunctive management of congestive heart failure
- Fluid restriction: usually limited to <1.5L/day, but varies between patients
- Loop diuretic (e.g. furosemide): confers symptomatic relief of fluid overload but no improvement in prognosis
- Annual influenza vaccine and one-off pneumococcal vaccine
ST elevation in lead II, III and aVF
What type of infarction would cause these changes?
Which cornonary artery would be affected?
Inferior MI
Right coronary
ST elevation in V1-4
What type of infarction would cause these changes?
Which cornonary artery would be affected?
Anteroseptal
Left anterior descending
ST elevation in V4-6, I, aVL
What type of infarction would cause these changes?
Which cornonary artery would be affected?
Anteriolateral
Left anterior descending or left circumflex
ST elevation in I, aVL +/- V5-V6
What type of infarction would cause these changes?
Which cornonary artery would be affected?
Lateral
Left circumflex
Tall R waves V1-V2
What type of infarction would cause these changes?
Which cornonary artery would be affected?
Posterior
Usually left circumflex, also right coronary artery
A 2 day old premature neonate is born by emergency cesarean section for maternal illness. The baby is noted to become floppy and unresponsive.
What is the most likely neurosurgical cause?
Intraventricular haemorrhage
A 78-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by the police. He is found wandering around the town centre and is confused. His family report that he is usually well apart from a simple mechanical fall 3 weeks previously from which he sustained no obvious injuries.
Chronic subdural haematoma
A 75-year-old man has attended the falls clinic with a 1-month history of an increased frequency of falls. In the last month, he reports falling 5 times. Prior to this, he was independently mobile but now requires the assistance of a frame. He lives with his wife who says that he has brief episodes of confusion following by lucid periods. His past medical history includes hypertension, alcoholic fatty liver disease, and gout.
On examination, he has normal power and sensation in his upper limbs. He has a shuffling gait but there is generally good power in his lower limbs. His cranial nerve examination is unremarkable aside from being unable to abduct his left eye on the left lateral gaze.
What is the most likely diagnosis?
Subdural haematoma
What type of sensory loss is seen in a syringomyeloma?
Spinothalamic sensory loss - pain and heat
A 60 year-old male presents with clumsy hands. He has been dropping cups around the house. His wife complains he doesnt answer his mobile as he struggles to use it. His symptoms have been gradually deteriorating over the preceding months.
Diagnosis?
Degenerative cervical myelopathy
A 42-year-old woman is admitted to the vascular ward for an endarterectomy. Her CT report confirms a left temporal lobe infarct.
Visual field defect?
Right superior quadranopia
A 22-year-old man is referred to urology with possible urinary retention. He is passing huge amounts of urine. Post void bladder ultrasound is normal.
Visual field defect?
Lower bitemporal hemianopia
This patient has diabetes insipidus due to a craniopharyngioma.
A 53-year-old man is admitted to the vascular ward for a carotid endarterectomy. His CT head report confirms a left parietal lobe infarct.
Visual field defect?
Right inferior quadranopia
Parietal lesions cause a contralateral inferior quadranopia.
An 84-year-old woman on the stroke ward is being assessed by the occupational therapists for discharge home. Upon assessment there are abnormalities noted in her comprehension of tasks.
The patient is asked to follow two simple orders, to open and close her eyes and raise her right hand, which she does not do after being asked to do so. When asked to repeat 3 words and then a sentence she cannot and falls silent. When naming 3 objects (pen, paper, keys) she is fluent in her speech pattern, but is incomprehensible in content. Lastly, when asked to name as many animals as possible in 1 minute, she names 0 animals, but 20 random, unconnected words are spoken.
What is this type of dysphasia?
Wernike’s dysphasia
A 61-year-old woman presents to the emergency department with morning headaches, nausea and vomiting. An urgent CT head reveals a mass within the right frontal lobe. An MRI head is performed which shows what is likely a glioblastoma surrounded by oedema.
What medication is used in this context to treat oedema?
Dexamethasone
A 66-year-old man comes to see you as he has had numbness in his right hand which has gradually progressed over 48 hours and now he reports that the whole of his right-hand side is numb. You suspect that he is having a stroke and arrange a blue-light ambulance. 6 weeks later he comes to see you to thank your for your help and also discuss his medications.
Assuming there are no contraindications, which antiplatelet regimens is recommended following an acute ischaemic stroke?
Aspirin 300mg daily, then clopidogrel 75mg daily long term
Double vision going down stairs. Which cranial nerve is affected?
Trochlear
In status epilipticus, what medication should be given if not responding to benzodiazepines?
Phenytoin
Which electrolyte abnormality is most likely to occur following a subarachnoid haemorrhage?
Hyponatraemia (due to SIADH)
Cushing’s triad
- Widening of pulse pressure
- Respiratory changes
- Bradycardia
When would a CT head be required immediately following a head injury?
- GCS <13 on initial assessment
- GCS <15 at 2 hours post injury
- Suspected open or depressed skull fracture
- Signs of basal skull fracture (haemotympanum, panda eyes, CSF leakage from ear or nose, Battle’s sign)
- Post traumatic seizure
- Focal neurological deficit
- More than 1 episode of vomiting