structural cardiac abnormalities Flashcards
what is the most common primary cardiac tumour
atrial myxomas
what are atrial myxomas
most common primary cardiac tumour - rare heart tumour found in the top chambers (atria) of the heart. Around three quarters of atrial myxomas occur in the left atria. They tend to grow on the wall (septum) that separates the right and left sides of the heart. They are ‘benign’, which means they do not spread around the rest of the body like other cancerous tumours. The tumour may obstruct the mitral valve or may be a site of thrombi, which can embolise
what are the signs and symptoms of atrial myxomas
Patients may be asymptomatic or present with dyspnoea, syncope or a mild fever. Physical signs include a loud first heart sound, a tumour ‘plop’, a mid-diastolic murmur and signs of embolism
what are common cardiac benign tumours
atrial myxoma lipoma papillary fibroelastoma fibroma haemangioma
what are common primary malignant cardiac tumours
angiosarcoma
undifferentiated sarcoma
rhabdomyosarcoma
osteosarcoma
what is myocarditis
An acute or chronic inflammatory pathology. Acute inflammation of the myocardium of the heart
what are causes of myocarditis
- Mainly caused by enteroviruses - Coxsackie A and B and echovirus
- Idiopathic
- Infective: viral, parasitic, bacterial, spirochaetal, fungal
- Toxic: drugs, radiation
- Autoimmune
- Alcohol
- Hydrocarbons
what are clinical features of myocarditis
- Young adults
- Mild fatigue
- Palpitations
- Chest pain
- Dyspnoea
- Fulminant congestive cardiac failure
- Soft heart sounds
- Prominent 3rd sound
- Tachycardia
what are investigations of myocarditis
- ECG - AV block may be seen for Lyme disease, sarcoid, giant- cell myocarditis and Chagas disease
- Echo - may revel normal of reduced biventricular function with resting regional wall motion abnormalities
- Blood tests - include ESR and CRP which are frequently elevated in the acute presentation. Cardiac troponin and creatine kinase levels will be elevated
- CMR - patients with acute myocarditis may demonstrate myocardial oedema on T2- weighted images and patchy myocardial enhancement with gadolinium
- Endomyocardial biopsy
- Coronary angiography
management of myocarditis
- usually resolves within a few weeks
- if patients deteriorate then they may require urgent transfer to a cardiac centre with access to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and/or cardiac transplant
- bed rest
what is giant cell myocarditis
- Severe form of myocarditis characterised by multinucleate giant cells within the myocardium
what is Chagas’ disease
- Caused by the protozoon Trypanosoma Cruzi
- features of acute myocarditis and fever and congestive heart failure
- Chronically there is progression to a dilated cardiomyopathy with a propensity towards heart block and ventricular arrhythmias
How is myocarditis diagnosed
Diagnosed by viral PCR.
Throat swab and stool for enteroviruses
Throat swab for influenza
what is cardiomyopathies
group of diseases of the myocardium that affect the mechanical or electrical function of the heart
what is Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Include a group of inherited conditions that produce hypertrophy of the myocardium in the absence of an alternative cause.
The majority of cases are familial autosomal dominate and are due to mutations in the genes encoding sarcomeric proteins