Pathology 2 Mo's notes Flashcards
(157 cards)
What is the definition of Infective Endocarditis?
Inflammation of the endocardial surfaces of the heart including heart valves which is caused by certain microorganisms.
Types of endocarditis
- Infective endocarditis: here microbes colonize the heart valves and form friable vegetations. The 2 types of IE are acute and subacute.
- Non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis aka marantic endocarditis: this variant characteristically occurs in the settings of cancers e.g. adenocarcinomas
- Libman sacks endocarditis: occurs in the settings of cancers e.g. adenocarcinoma
Why rheumatic heart and valve replacement patients are more susceptible to IE?
Blood usually flows smoothly over valves, when these valves are damaged (as in RH) or in valve replacement, there will be an increased chance for bacterial colonization on damaged tissues.
Pathophysiology of rheumatic heart disease?
Leads to what macroscopic changes?
Immune system responds to group strep A but reacts with own tissues.
Combination of antibody and T-cell reactions cause chronic inflammation and damage/thickening of heart valves and cause stenosis.
What are the gross acute and chronic findings in infective endocarditis?
Acute phase: Valvular vegetations
Chronic phase: Commissural fibrosis, valve thickening, and calcification + shortened and fused chordae tendinea
Microscopic findings of infective endocarditis?
Aschoff bodies, a form of granulomatous inflammation which consists of a central zone of degenerating ECM infiltrated
by lymphocytes, plasma cells and Anitschkow cells, found in all 3 layers of the heart – pericardium, myocardium or endocardium
What 7 things to look for in echo for IE?
1) Valvular regurgitation: A regurgitant jet >1 cm in length and peak velocity >2.5 m/s
2) Leaflet: Prolapse, Coaptation failure, Thickening (>4 mm), Reduced mobility, Nodules
3) Annular dilatation
4) Chordal elongation/rupture
5) Increased echogenicity of subvalvular apparatus
6) Pericardial effusion
7) Ventricular dilatation and dysfunction (almost always with significant regurgitation)
Common organisms for IE?
- Viridans Strep. or Staph.
- . Coagulase negative staph.
- . Enterococci
- . Hacek group of microorganisms (oropharyngeal commensals)*
* Haemophilus species,
* Aggregatibacter species,
* Cardiobacterium hominis,
* Eikenella corrodens
* Kingella species
What is used to diagnose IE?
Duke’s criteria
What are Dukes Major criteria for IE?
- Blood cultures positive for endocarditis - typical organisms
- Evidence of endocardial involvement - echo
What are Dukes minor criteria for IE?
1 Risk factors for infective endocarditis (see risk factors section)
2 Fever > 38oC
3 Vascular phenomena: septic emboli, Janeway lesions, conjunctival haemorrhage, intracranial haemorrhage
4 Immunological phenomena: glomerulonephritis, Osler’s nodes, Roth spots, positive rheumatoid factor
5 Microbiological evidence: positive blood cultures which do not meet the major criteria
What are risk factors for IE?
Intrinsic/Extrinsic
Intrinsic risk factors include:
- Valvular stenosis or regurgitation: congenital or acquired
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Structural heart disease with turbulent flow (e.g. VSD, PDA): but NOT isolated ASD or fully repaired VSD or PDA
- Prosthetic heart valves: these will require replacement if infected
- Previous infection (infective endocarditis/rheumatic fever) causing structural damage
Extrinsic risk factors include:
- Intravenous drug use (right-sided endocarditis)
- Invasive vascular procedures (e.g. central lines)
- Poor oral hygiene/dental infections
What are complications of IE?
Cardiac/Systemic
Cardiac complications include:
* Valve destruction
* Heart failure (secondary to valve regurgitation)
* Arrhythmias and conduction disorders (e.g. AV block)
* Myocardial infarction
* Pericarditis
* Aortic root abscess
Systemic complications include:
* Emboli (e.g. stroke, splenic infarction)
* Immune complex deposition (e.g. glomerulonephritis)
* Septicaemia
* Death
Whare are some signs and symptoms of IE?
FROM JANE
Signs and symptoms of IE FROM JANE
* Fever
* Roth’s spots
* Osler’s nodes
* Murmur
* Janeway lesions
* Anemia
* Nail hemorrhage
What is the medical treatment of IE?
IV antibiotics depending on culture and sensitivity for 6 weeks (IV ceftriaxone and vancomycin)
Why might antibiotics not work in IE?
- Valves do not have specific blood supply so antibiotics cannot reach
- Organisms lie inside the vegetations
- Bacteria form a biofilm (glycocalyx covering) that shields them from antibiotics
How is IE managed if there is no response to medical Rx?
Valve replacement or heart transplantation
What are the side effects of long term steroids?
- Opportunistic bacterial and viral infections such as EBV, CMV —> leukemia, lymphoma
- Cushingoid features: obesity, muscle weakness, hirsutism, striae
- Cardiovascular: fluid retention, hypertension
- Endocrine: DM
- Musculoskeletal: osteoporosis, AVN, proximal myopathy
Mechanism of action of immunosuppressants? How do immunosuppressants work?
What is the mechanism of action of warfarin?
Which numbers?
Vitamin K antagonist thus inhibiting clotting factors 2,7,9,10
How to reverse warfarin?
- Vitamin k
- FFP
- PCC
In IE if there are right sided vegetations what is the cause?
IV drug abuser
What causes aortic stenosis?
Atherosclerosis: Lipid accumulation, inflammation, calcification →
valve thickening and stenosis
How does heart failure develop in aortic stenosis?
- As the aortic valve progresses from sclerosis to stenosis, the left ventricle encounters chronic resistance to systolic ejection (↑ afterload) → thickening of the left ventricular wall (hypertrophy)
- Effects of high left ventricular afterload include decreased left ventricular myocardial elasticity and coronary blood flow and increased myocardial workload, oxygen consumption, and mortality.
- Late manifestations of LVH include a smaller left ventricular chamber size, which decreases preload and worsens systolic dysfunction. The result is insufficient stroke vol ume, cardiac output, and ejection fraction. Finally, backward transmission of increased left ventricular pressure to the lungs may cause pulmonary venous hypertension and reactive vasoconstriction of the pulmonary vasculature.