Vascular Flashcards
Suspect this in a pt w/ leg claudication (“angina of the leg”), pain in the leg with ambulation. On PE, they have shiny skin or loss of hair. Decreased pulses and cool extremity distal to pain.
Peripheral vascular disease (AKA Arteriosclerotic occlusive disease of the lower extremities by Pestana’s)
Symptoms of severe peripheral vascular disease
Non-healing wounds, rest pain, or color change when pt moves their feet.
Workup for peripheral vascular disease
Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI). If too high (i.e. not possible) do a toe-brachial index (TBI).
If ABI confirms peripheral vascular disease, what further workup should you do?
Ultrasound Doppler to find the point of pressure gradient drop. If the plan is to intervene, do a CT angiogram to identify collaterals and the lesion itself.
Surgical treatments for peripheral vascular disease.
Angioplasty, stent, or bypass. Stent lesions above the knee or <3cm, bypass lesions below the knee, or that are >3cm.
Conservative medical management for PVD.
Control of risk factors, smoking cessation, exercise classes, anti-platelets (aspirin, clopidogrel if stented), Cilostazole or pentoxyphillene to tx symptoms.
Risk factors for PVD
SMOKING, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol.
Pathophysiology of Acute Limb Ischemia
Obstruction of blood flow to an extremity, which occurs fast enough that collateral circulation did not have time to develop. This blockage can be due to aFib, CHOLESTEROL embolism (think this in a pt who had a cath put in, or an angiogram or something), acute thrombosis.
6 P’s of acute limb ischemia
Pulseless Pallor Poikilothermia Pain Paresthesia Paralysis
Tx of acute limb ischemia
Embolectomy, localized tPA, or heparin. Keep a watchful eye on them for compartment syndrome. Want to treat within 6 hours.
Dx of acute limb ischemia
U/S w/ doppler, or arteriogram
Ankle-Brachial Index - values!
Calcified: >1.4 Normal: 1.0 - 1.4 Equivocal: 0.9 - 1.0 Mild PVD: 0.8 - 0.9 Moderate PVD: 0.4 - 0.8
Suspect this in a patient who describes claudication of the arm (coldness, tingling, muscle pain) and posterior neurologic signs (visual symptoms, equilibrium problems) when the arm is exercised
Subclavian steal syndrome.
What is subclavian steal syndrome?
An arteriosclerotic stenotic plaque at the origin of the subclavian (before the takeoff of the vertebral) allows enough blood supply to reach the arm for normal activity, but does not allow enough to meet higher demands when the arm is exercised. When that happens, the arm sucks blood away from the brain by reversing the flow in the vertebral.
Dx and tx of subclavian steal syndrome
Duplex scanning is diagnostic when it shows reversal of flow. Bypass surgery cures it.
Typical characteristics of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Typically asymptomatic, found as a pulsatile abdominal mass on examination (between the xiphoid and the umbilicus) or found on x-rays, sonograms, or CT scans done for another diagnostic purpose, usually in an older man.
Management of abdominal aortic aneurysms
<5cm and asymptomatic, you can watch carefully. >5 cm, or growing 1 cm per year, surgical intervention is recommended. If symptomatic or ruptured, emergency surgery.
Most common surgical treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm
Endovascular stents inserted percutaneously
Suspect this in a patient who seeks help because he “cannot sleep.” It turns out that pain in the calf is what keeps him from falling asleep. He has learned that sitting up and dangling the leg helps the pain, and a few minutes after he does so, the leg that used to be very pale becomes deep purple. Physical exam shows shiny atrophic skin without hair, and no peripheral pulses.
The pain is described as “Rest Pain”, and is the penultimate stage of Peripheral Vascular Disease. The only stage after this is ulceration and gangrene.
Suspect this in a patient with sudden onset of extremely severe, tearing chest pain that radiates to the back and migrates down shortly after its onset. There may be unequal pulses in the upper extremities, and x-ray shows a wide mediastinum.
Aortic dissection
Best option to image an aortic dissection
Ultrasound, and CT
Suspect this in a patient with temporary blindness in one eye that resolves spontaneously in a few minutes. What is the name of this symptom? What might you find on physical exam?
Embolus from the internal carotid artery (ICA) that occludes the ophthalmic artery, leading to temporary retinal ischemia. The name of the symptom is Amaurosis fugax. You may find a bruit over the ipsilateral carotid artery.
In a patient who you suspect an embolus from the carotid artery caused temporary blindness, what can you find on fundoscopic exam that would confirm a carotid source?
Hollenhorst plaques: cholesterol microemboli seen within the retinal arterioles that have a bright, yellow, and refractile appearance. They are considered highly suggestive of embolization from a plaque at the carotid bifurcation
How do you distinguish a TIA from a stroke?
The symptoms of a stroke persist >24 hours. Though in general, since most TIAs last less than an hour, symptoms lasting beyond that time are highly suggestive of a stroke.
What vessel should you worry about if a patient describes symptoms of Right Arm and Leg Weakness and Numbness?
The contralateral middle cerebral artery, which feeds the left motor cortex.