Structural Heart Disease Flashcards
What are some examples of congenital heart defects?
- atrial septal defect (ASD)
- ventricular septal defect (VSD)
- coarctation of aorta
- tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)
What are some examples of developed heart defects?
valvular dysfunctions
- atrial stenosis/regurgitation
muscular
- cardiomyopathies
What are structural heart diseases?
defects that affect the valves and chambers of the heart and aorta
What is diastole?
relaxation of the heart
What happens in a ventricular septal defect?
wall between the 2 ventricles fails to develop - leading to a hole
- mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood
How would a baby with a ventricular septal defect present?
- poor weight gain
- palpitations
- poor eating
- cyanosis
How can you treat a ventricular septal defect?
- sometimes heals on its own
- may require open heart surgery or a catheterisation
What happens in the tetralogy of Fallot?
- ventricular septal defect
- pulmonary stenosis
- widening of the aortic valve
- right ventricular hypertrophy
- mixing of blood between ventricles and atria
What happens in pulmonary stenosis?
the pulmonary trunk is narrowed
What happens when the aortic valve widens in ToF?
the mixing of blood from both ventricles on entry to the aorta
(sits directly on ventricular septal defect)
What happens in right ventricular hypertrophy?
thickening of the right ventricle wall
What is the atrial septal defect?
hole in the wall between the 2 atria (can also be failure to develop)
What is coarctation of the aorta?
the narrowing of the descending aorta
- thickening of the left ventricle
- eventually heart failure
What is aortic/mitral stenosis?
narrowing of the aortic/mitral valve
What is aortic/mitral regurgitation?
incompetence of the aortic/mitral valve leading to back flow of blood
When is rheumatic heart disease most common?
- 25-49 (more in female)
- developing countries
When is calcific aortic valve disease most common?
> 80
When is degenerative mitral valve disease most common?
> 70 (more in female)
What are the causes of aortic stenosis?
- rheumatic heart disease
- congenital heart disease
- calcium build up
What precedes aortic stenosis?
aortic sclerosis (aortic valve thickening without flow limitation)
What is the history and presentation of aortic stenosis?
Exertional dyspnoea and fatigue
Chest pain, Angina
Syncope
Heart failure
Ejection systolic murmur
H/O Rheumatic fever, High lipoprotein, high LDL, CKD, age >65
Doppler echo is essential to the diagnosis (for the pressure gradient)
What are the risk factors of aortic stenosis?
- hypertension
- LDL levels
- smoking
- elevated CRP
- congenital bicuspid valves
- Chronic kidney disease
- Radiotherapy
- Older age
How do valves change in aortic stenosis?
- valvular endocardium is damaged due to turbulent blood flow
- age related or congenital degeneration of the valves
- Anti-strep B antibodies wrongly attack valves which initiates a inflammatory process
- leaflet fibrosis and calcium deposition limits aortic leaflet mobility and eventually leads to stenosis
What happens in rheumatic disease?
autoimmune inflammatory reaction triggered by Streptococcus infection that targets the valvular endothelium, leading to inflammation and calcification
What is the pathophysiology of aortic stenosis?
- Fibrosis and calcification of aortic valve
- Disrupted blood flow through the aortic valve
- LV contracts harder to pump blood through the stenotic valve
- continuous forceful contraction of LV causes concentric LV hypertrophy
- LV becomes stiff overtime and harder to fill leading to decreased cardiac output and diastolic dysfunction
- LV can no longer maintain normal wall stress/afterload and it increases leading to systolic heart failure
- Pressure overload in LV backs up in the left atrium causes it to dilate and ultimately leads to increase in pressure in lungs causing pulmonary congestion
How does aortic stenosis present?
- exertional dysopnea and fatigue
- chest pain
- early ejection systolic murmur (crescendo-decrescendo pattern that peaks in mid-systole, radiates to carotid)
- high lipoprotein
- rheumatic fever
- high LDL
- CKD
- age > 65
What investigations would be done for suspected aortic stenosis?
- transthoracic doppler ECG
- ECG
- Chest xray
- cardiac catheterisation
- cardiac MRI
How do you manage aortic stenosis?
primary: aortic valve replacement
- transcatheter valve replacement
- surgical valve prosthesis
- balloon aortic valvuloplasty
- antihypertensive
- ACE inhibitors
- statins
When is aortic valve replacement considered for asymptomatic aortic stenosis?
- severe AS, LV ejection fraction < 50% or undergoing another cardiac surgery
- rapidly progressing AS
- abnormal exercise test
- elevated serum B-type
- natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels
What are the congenital and acquired causes of aortic regurgitation?
- rheumatic heart disease
- infective endocarditis
- aortic valve stenosis
- congenital heart defects
- congenital bicuspid valves
What is aortic regurgitation?
diastolic leakage of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle
Why does aortic regurgitation occur?
incompetence of valve leaflets resulting from either intrinsic valve disease or dilation of the aortic root
What are the 2 different onsets of aortic regurgitation
- chronic: leading to congestive cardiac failure
- acute: medical emergency, sudden onset of pulmonary oedema (left heart failure) and hypotension/cardiogenic shock
What are the causes of aortic root dilation leading to the development of aortic regurgitation?
- Marfan’s syndrome
- connective tissue disease/collagen vascular diseases
- idiopathic
- ankylosing spondilytis
- trauma
How does acute aortic regurgitation occur?
infective endocarditis
- leads to rupture of leaflets or paravalvular leaks
- vegetations on the valvular cusps can cause inadequate closure of leaflets (blood leakage)
chest trauma - tear in the ascending aorta
How does acute aortic regurgitation present?
- cardiogenic shock
- tachycardia
- cyanosis
- pulmonary oedema
- diastolic murmur
How does chronic aortic regurgitation present?
- wide pulse pressure
- pistol shot pulse (Traube sign)
- water hammer pulse (Corrigan)
What investigations can be done for suspected aortic regurgitation
- transthoracic ECG
- chest x ray
- cardiac catheterisation
- cardiac MRI/CT scan
What is the management for acute aortic regurgitation?
- ionotropes/vasodilators
- valve replacement and repair
What is the management for chronic asymptomatic aortic regurgitation?
if LV function is normal manage by drugs or reassurance
What is the management for chronic symptomatic aortic regurgitation?
- first line: valve replacement
- adjunct vasodilator therapy