Structural Heart Disease Flashcards
where does blood go during diastole?
cardiac chambers start to fill with blood
what happens during the atrial kick? (4)
- atrial depolarisation
- atria contracts
- bump in atrial pressure
- final push of blood into ventricles before ventricles start to depolarise at AVN
what happens following depolarisation? (spike on ECG)
- ventricles contract
- back-flow of blood causes AV valves (mitral L and tricuspid R) to shut
- now both mitral/tricuspid and aorta/pulmonary valves are shut
- so volume stays constant and pressure increases
- massive pressure increase, needed so ventricular pressure is higher than aortic
- causes aortic valve to open, blood reaches rest of body (or lungs for pulmonary)
what happens during repolarisation? (ST segment)
- ventricles relax so pressure is lower in ventricles than in the aorta
- backflow into ventricle from aorta/pulmonary artery, causes respective valve to shut
- volume stays constant and chamber relaxes so pressure falls rapidly
- pressure in ventricles is lower than in atrium so mitral or tricuspid valve opens
- passive filling of ventricles, cycle starts again
which phase gets impaired first in pathological states? (e.g. heart failure)
isovolumetric relaxation phase impaired first
why is it important to treat this phase?
- administer beta blockers as early as possible to minimise damage to the heart
2, coronary arteries supply myocardium so this phase is important
what is preload?
wall stress / force applied to unit cross sectional area of myocardium in diastole
what is preload determined by?
- Starling’s law of the heart
2. cardiac contractility
describe Starling’s Law
Starling’s Law: length-tension relationship stretch of myocardium in diastole enhances contractile energy generated by this muscle ascending portion of this relationship is where myocardial contraction should be to produce max contraction
what two factors determine this relationship?
- immediate effect - not to do with intracellular calcium or any other energy source → stressing myocardium reduces overlap of myocardial fibres, decreases interference causing negative effects on contractile energy
- slower effect - sub-cellular increase in calcium stores
What is the Anrep effect?
increases force of contraction by increasing number of cross bridges formed in myocardium
name the two factors that determine cardiac contractility
- sympathetic tone - sympathetic nerve fibres supplying myocardium
- adrenaline - increasing contractile force of myocardium
how is preload involved in some pathological states (e.g. hypovolemia)?
- patient bleeding or dehydrated, less energy of contraction (less preload)
- less stretching of myocardium to generate contractile force
- b.p. falls, stroke volume decreases and energy of contraction decreases
What is afterload?
- pressure in aorta, force per unit cross section area
2. opposes shortening of myocardium in isotonic manner
how is afterload involved in hypertension?
- increased afterload impairs stroke volume
2. adverse effects such as negative remodelling - heart muscle thickens and pumps dysfunctionally
what is La Place’s Law?
- translates internal diameter radius of a chamber to wall tension and internal pressure generated inside the chamber
1. internal pressure generated inside a chamber is directly proportional to wall tension
2. inversely proportional to radius of chamber
what happens in pathological states? (heart failure / dilated cardiomyopathy)
- radius of chamber increases
1. chamber is unable to generate effective internal pressure
2. contractility falls
what are the two equations?
P=2T/r but also P=2Sw/r relationship between wall tension and radius has x2 due to 2 curvatures in the heart Sw is wall stress x wall thickness instead of T for tension
- demonstrate relationship between wall stress and wall thickness and internal pressure generated inside chamber
- thickness increasing, pressure generated increases
how does La Place’s Law explain the change in athletic hearts?
- muscle strengthened to increase contractile force to maintain b.p. needed
- chamber with small radius, bigger internal force due to wall tension
what happens in a heart with dilated dysfunctional ventricle?
conversion of wall tension into internal pressure is not as effective
what happens when the mitral valve opens?
left ventricle fills passively from left atrium, eventually pressure in left ventricle greater than atrium → mitral valve closes
what happens when both aortic and mitral valves are shut?
- rapid increase in ventricular pressure, volume stays constant
- increases pressure in aorta, aortic valve opens and blood flows up
what is the straight line and what makes it steeper?
- straight line is contractility index:
1. sympathetic stimulation causes contractility index to increase to a steeper line (and leftward shift of the curve, height and diameter of curve increases)
2. shows increase in stroke work generated is due to sympathetic drive
what are the two possible valvular lesions?
- stenotic lesions: narrowings 2. dilatations: regurgitation lesions
which sided lesion and which valve’s lesion is worst?
left sided valvular lesions are more clinically significant mitral stenosis, aortic stenosis
When is aortic stenosis severe?
severe when valve area is <1cm^2
How do you calculate aortic stenosis severity?
trans thoracic echocardiogram: calculate severity by determining speed of blood flow through the valve - severe if greater than 4m/s