PATH2001_Cardiovascular_and_Thrombosis_Flashcards
What is the leading cause of death and disability in the world?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
What are common types of cardiovascular disease?
Hypertension, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, stroke, coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral vascular disease (PVD)
List 5 modifiable risk factors for CVD.
Smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
What is atherosclerosis?
Thickening or hardening of arteries due to lipid accumulation and plaque formation.
What is an atheroma?
An accumulation of lipid in the intima of a blood vessel.
Which vessels are commonly affected by atherosclerosis?
Aorta, coronary arteries, and brain-feeding vessels
Name one non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting atherosclerosis.
Ultrasound of carotid or brachial arteries
What is the function of nitroglycerin in treating CVD?
It dilates blood vessels.
Differentiate between stable and unstable angina.
Stable: occurs with exertion; Unstable: occurs without exertion
What causes an acute myocardial infarction (AMI)?
Plaque rupture and complete blockage of a coronary vessel.
What are the cardiac consequences of atherosclerosis?
Angina, acute myocardial infarction, and heart failure.
What is heart failure?
Impaired ability of the heart to pump blood effectively, often due to myocardial infarction.
What is BNP and why is it clinically useful?
Brain natriuretic peptide; elevated in heart failure and helps differentiate cardiac vs pulmonary causes of shortness of breath.
Name two types of oedema and their cause in heart failure.
Pulmonary oedema (left heart failure), subcutaneous oedema (right heart failure).
What are the components of haemostasis?
Platelets, plasma proteins, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells.
What are the three major steps in blood clot formation?
Vessel injury, platelet plug formation (primary haemostasis), and fibrin formation (secondary haemostasis).
What does the INR measure?
The clotting tendency of blood; INR = (PT patient / PT normal)^ISI.
Which pathway is assessed by aPTT?
Intrinsic pathway of the coagulation cascade.
Which pathway is assessed by PT?
Extrinsic pathway of the coagulation cascade.
What is Virchow’s triad?
Endothelial injury, abnormal blood flow, and hypercoagulability - the three major causes of thrombosis.
What are the potential outcomes of thrombosis?
Propagation, organization and recanalization, lysis, and thromboembolism.
How do arterial and venous thrombi differ?
Arterial thrombi: firm, pale, platelet/fibrin-rich (‘white’); Venous thrombi: soft, RBC-rich (‘red’).
Where do systemic arterial emboli typically originate?
From the left heart or major arteries.
What is a pulmonary embolus and its usual origin?
Blockage in a pulmonary artery; usually originates from deep vein thrombosis in the legs.
List three clinical conditions that predispose to deep vein thrombosis.
Immobility, pregnancy/postpartum, oral contraceptives with high estrogen.
What is ischaemia?
Inadequate blood supply to a tissue.
What is infarction?
Tissue necrosis due to prolonged ischaemia.
What type of necrosis occurs in infarction of most tissues?
Coagulative necrosis, except in the brain (liquefactive necrosis).
What are the body’s systemic reactions to infarction?
Fever, neutrophilia, elevated ESR, and release of tissue-specific enzymes like troponins and CK.
What is the shape of an infarct caused by small arterial occlusion?
Wedge-shaped with the occluded vessel at the apex.
