Pathophysiology of Ischaemia and Infarction Flashcards
What is ischaemia
•Relative lack of blood supply to tissue/organ leading to inadequate O2 supply to meet needs of tissue/organ: hypoxia
What is meant by hypoxia?
•Relative lack of blood supply to tissue/organ leading to inadequate O2 supply to meet needs of tissue/organ: hypoxia
What is hypoxic hypoxia?
(a) Low inspired O2 level
(b) Normal inspired O2 but low PaO2 – impairment of diffusion.
What is anaemic hypoxia?
•Normal inspired O2 but blood abnormal
What is stagnant hypoxia?
•Normal inspired O2 but abnormal delivery
(a) Local e.g. occlusion of vessel
(b) Systemic e.g. shock
What is cytotoxic hypoxia?
•Normal inspired O2 but abnormal at tissue level – Something not working with oxygen delivery to the cells
What are the factors afecting oxygen supply?
- Inspired O2
- Pulmonary function
- Blood constituents (haemoglobin)
- Blood flow (hypotension impairs supply)
- Integrity of vasculature (atheroma, thrombus/embolus)
- Tissue mechanisms – deliver oxygen to respiring organelles
What are the factors affecting oxygen demand?
Tissue itself - different tissues have different requirements
Activity of tissue above baseline value
What are the two mechanisms for heart ischaemia?
Supply malfunction
Demand Malfunction
Describe supply issues that can cause heart ischaemia
Coronary artery atheroma
Cardiac failure
Pulmonary function - disease and pulmonary oedema
Anaemia
Previous MI
Where is the localised accumulation of lipid and fibrous tissue in atheroma?
In the intima of the arteries
What is the link between atheroma and:
- Stable angina
- Unstable angina
- Thrombosis
- Aneurysm
Stable angina - established atheroma in the coronary artery - pain on excertion
Unstable angina - complicated atheroma in coronary artery
Thrombosis - Ulcerated/fissured plaques -> thrombosis -> ischaemia and infarction
Aneurysm - Atheroma in aorta -> walls of aorta become weakened and dilate
What are the clinical consequences of atheroma?
MI
Transient ischaemic attack
Cerebral infarction
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Peripheral vascular disease
Cardiac failure
Coronary artery disease - MI - Cardiac failure
What are the
- Functional
- General
- Biochemical
- Cellular
- Clinical
Effects of Ischaemia?
Functional - Blood/O2 supply fails to meet demands of tissue - (can be because of a reduction in supply or an increase in demand)
General
- Acute
- Chronic - claudication
- Acute-on-chronic – sudden worsening of an already chronic condition
Biochemical
Results in Lactate production -
Lactate to pyruvate takes energy
Lactate can cause death of the cell
Cellular
Variable susceptibility to O2 depending on tissue type and the metabolic rate
Clinical
Dysfunction
Pain
Physical damage to specialised cells
What are the outcomes of Ischaemia?
No clinical effect
Resolution / therapeutic intervention
Infarction
What is meant by infarction?
•Ischaemic necrosis within a tissue/organ in living body produced by occlusion of either the arterial supply or venous drainage
What are the possible aetiologies for infarction?
- Thrombosis
- Embolism
- Strangulation e.g. gut
- Trauma - cut/ruptured vessel
What does the scale of damage of ischamia/infarction depend on?
- Time period
- Tissue/organ
- Pattern of blood supply (consider collateral circulation – whereby one branch can still supply cells if one is blocked)
- Previous disease
What is the mechanism of tissue breakdown caused by infarction?
Anaerobic metabolism - cell death - liberation of enzymes
What are the two types of necrosis?
Coagulative
Colliquitive