Vascular Medicine Flashcards
Describe the different manifestations of atherosclerosis in the body
Coronary arteries:
- Angina (semi-occluded vessel)
- MI (plaque rupture or complete occlusion)
- Microvascular disease
Carotid arteries
- Stroke
- TIA
Renal arteries
- CKD
- Renovascular hypertension
Peripheral arteries
- Peripheral exertional leg pain
- Critical limb ischaemia
- Acute limb ischaemia
What is the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis?
- LDL particles migrate to arteries and oxidise, forming a fatty layer
- This attracts monocytes which expand at the site to form foam cells
- Foam cells accumulate to form a plaque
- Smooth muscle cells move to the intimate and contribute to the formation of a fibrous cap
- Over time this narrows the lumen, leading to reduced blood flow
- The cap releases collagen and elastin causing the plaque to rupture
- When the plaque ruptures, thrombosis is triggered and clots form which further impede blood flow
At what age does atherosclerosis BEGIN and become PATHOGENIC?
It begins in the teens, but complications secondary to ischaemia and plaque rupture occur in later years.
What are the signs and symptoms of peripheral arterial disease?
SYMPTOMS Atypical, exertional leg pain Intermittent claudication SIGNS Absent pulses, cold white legs, ulcers, atrophic skin
What is critical limb ischaemia?
PAD that has progressed to the extent that the patient experiences rest pain relieved by hanging the foot outside the bed, and ischaemic ulcers.
What is acute limb ischaemia?
Medical emergency due to sudden thrombosis, emboli, occlusion or trauma. Presents with the 6Ps:
- Pallor
- Pulselessness
- Perishingly cold
- Pain
- Paralysis
- Parasthesia
How is acute limb ischaemia managed?
Open surgery, angioplasty, thrombolysis, anticoagulation
How is PAD diagnosed?
ABPI - ratio of systolic BP at the ankle to the systolic BP at the brachial arteries
>1.30 = noncompresible (elderly, diabetes)
0.91-1.3 = normal
0.71-0.9 = mild (likely arterial)
0.41 - 0.70 = moderate
<0.40 = severe (rest pain - likely critical)
What is the 1st line imaging for PAD?
Colour duplex ISS
Name some cardiovascular risk factors
- Smoking
- Age
- Hyperlipidemia
- Hypertension
- DM
- Previous CVD
- Ethnicity
- Fam hx
What are the features of the metabolic syndrome?
- Insulin resistance
- Central obesity
- Hypertension
- Dyslipidemia
- Impaired glucose tolerance
Describe typical angina chest pain
Central crushing chest pain (pressure like, gripping, discomfort, heavy etc) that radiates to the neck, jaw, epigastrium or arms, lasting a few minutes
Precipitated by exertion, emotion, eating etc or spontaneous (unstable angina)
What is the single biggest risk factor for having a recurrent stroke having had a single TIA?
Hypertension
What are the cardiac differentials for chest pain? How do you differentiate?
- Angina – shorter duration
- MI – Symptoms that are lasting longer than 15 mins, nausea, pale, etc.
- Pericarditis – Pain that varies with respiration and position (worse if you sit up)
- Aortic Dissection – tearing feeling, radiates to back.
What is the definition of hypertension?
BP greater than or equal to 140/90mmHg
What is the main cause of hypertension?
Essential HTN (80%) - complex interaction of genes and environment
List some causes of secondary hypertension:
a) renal
b) endocrine
c) vascular
d) drugs
e) miscallaenous
a) glomerulonephritis, PCKD, diabetes, renovascular disease
b) cushings, phaeochromocytoma, conn’s, diabetes, thyroid, acromegaly
c) CAD, renal artery stenosis, coarctation of aorta
d) alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, COCP, cyclosporin, erythropoeitin, cold/flu remedies
What is the main underlying pathophysiology of secondary hypertension?
- Reduced elasticity and compliance of large arteries, due to accelerated accumulation of arterial calcium and collagen and degradation of elastin
- Defective sodium storage leading to retention
How do the kidneys normally respond to low blood pressure?
Low blood flow stimulates secretion of renin from juxtaglomerular cells, which activates the RAAS.
How does renovascular disease affect blood pressure?
Stenosis to the kidneys will activate the RAAS causing an increase in BP
How does glomerulonephritis affect blood pressure?
Chronic inflammation causes impaired sodium processing at the glomeruli, so salt and excess fluid build up, contributing to hypertension.
How does PCKD affect blood pressure?
Increased sympathetic activity causes inappropriate renin secretion and NO inhibition. It also causes abnormally large levels of catecholamines (due to decreased production of renalase, an enzyme which normally metabolises catecholamines)
What potent circulating vasodepressor are many patients with renal disease deficient in?
Medullipin - this would usually lower pp
Describe the development of salt sensitive hypertension
- Exposure to stimuli that causes renal vasoconstriction
- Renal injury caused by tubular ischemia, causing impaired sodium excretion
- Sodium excretion restored to equal intake at the expense of shift to higher systemic blood pressure
How does Conn’s syndrome affect blood pressure? What is the typical biochem?
Conns syndrome = primary hyperaldosteronism due to benign adenoma
Adenoma causes:
- high aldosterone
- low potassium
- normal sodium
- low renin.
This leads to sodium retention, increased sympathetic drive and endothelial dysfunction
What investigations should be done for someone with Conn’s?
Aldosterone:renin ratio
HRCT/MRI - image adrenals to look for tumour (diagnostic)
Adrenal vein sampling - sample left and right aldosterone levels, marked discrepancy suggests unilateral adenoma, treat with surgery.
How does Cushings syndrome affect blood pressure?
Excess cortisol binds to the aldosterone receptor, activating RAAD
What investigations should be done for someone with Cushing’s?
Urinary free 24h cortisol levels (initial)
Low dose/high dose dexamethasone suppression test
Measure ACTH (give metyrapone to distinguish between pituitary and ectopic)
MRI (diagnostic of pituitary tumour)
How does Pheochromocytoma affect blood pressure?
Adrenal catecholamine-secreting tumour - catecholamines increase HR, causing vasoconstriction and sodium retention, leading to postural hypotension and labile BP.
What are the symptoms of phaeochromocytoma?
Labile BP
Postural hypotension
Headache
Many asymptomatic
Which syndromes is phaeochromocytoma associated with?
Von Hipper Lindau syndrome
MEN 2
What investigations should be done for someone with pheochromocytoma?
- Plasma free mets (diagnostic)
- Urinary catecholamines (less convenient
What is shuttle enzyme deficiency?
A condition causing ‘apparent aldosterone excess’
- failure of conversion from cortisol to cortisone (which would usually deactivate it)
- hypertension
Which enzyme is deficient in shuttle enzyme deficiency?
11B-HSD
What is Liddles syndrome?
Genetic disorder causing increased activity of epithelial sodium channel so it is constantly open
- kidney excretes more potassium but retains sodium and water
What are the clinical and biochemical features of Liddle’s syndrome?
CLINICAL - autosomal dominant, early onset HTN
BIOCHEM - low K, metabolic alkalosis, high bicarb, low aldosterone, high sodium
How is Liddle’s syndrome investigated and managed?
INVESTIGATION - Bloods, ABG, genetic testing
MANAGEMENT - amiloride
How does acromegaly affect blood pressure?
Chronic exposure to GH and IGF-1 causes RAAS activation.
Also, associated insulin resistance increases BP
What are the components of routine assessment of raised BP?
- BP
- Height/weight/BMI
- Pulses (radio femoral delay = coarctation)
- Kidneys (palpable = PCKD)
- End organ damage (U&E, creatinine, ECG)
- Fundoscopy
What is the indication for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring?
Clinic BP 140/90 or higher
How does coarctation of the aorta present clinically?
Hypertension in the arms
Hypotension in the lower extremities
How does OSA affect blood pressure?
The condition produces surges in systolic and diastolic BP from sympathetic overactivity, that cause consistently raised BP at night
What investigation should be done if you suspect renal artery stenosis?
Renal USS - shows a single shrunken kidney
What are some signs of hypertensive retinopathy on fundoscopy?
- AV nicking
- Silver wiring
- Cotton wool spots
Name 5 complications of hypertension
- Stroke/TIA
- Heart failure
- Malignant HTN
- MI
- Dissecting aortic aneurysm
What is malignant hypertension?
Increased BP with acute impairment of one or more organ systems (usually BP>180/120), leading to a hypertensive emergency.
May be precipitated by the sudden discontinuation of antihypertensives.
What are the signs and symptoms of malignant hypertension?
Signs - papilloedema, retinal haemorrhage
Symptoms - nausea, haematuria, proteinuria, arrhythmias, headache, chest pain
How does HTN lead to HF?
Left ventricular hypertrophy as the heart has to pump harder to push the blood around the body
How does HTN lead to dissecting aortic aneurysm?
Hypertension causes a tear in the intimal lining of the aorta, allowing blood to enter the media and the tear to expand
What investigations should be done for dissecting aortic aneurysm?
D-dimer, CT, transesophageal ECHO, CXR
What are the indications and limitations of CT for cerebrovascular disease?
Indications - Do if suspected stroke, preferably within an hour, for patients with symptoms lasting over an hour. Can reliably exclude ICH.
Limitations - Will often be normal before 12 hours, beyond 2-3 weeks they show no difference between haemorrhage and ischaemia
What are the indications and limitations of MRI for cerebrovascular disease?
Indications - ongoing symptoms for over 14 days, particularly cerebellar/brainstem signs or disease in posterior fossa
Limitations - high cost, takes a while
What are the indications and limitations of angiography for cerebrovascular disease?
Indications - assessment for hyper acute treatment (thrombolysis/clot retrieval)
Limitations - low sensitivity
What are the early signs on infarction on CT?
- Loss of grey/white matter differentiation
- Loss of insular ribbon on insular cortex
- Loss of definition of lentiform nucleus
What is the benefit of MRI DWI (diffusion weighted imaging)
Allows you to see the development of ischaemia in real time - acute lesion is bright white
What is the definition of an MI?
Tn > 99th percentile plus at least one of:
- Ischaemic symptoms
- Ischaemic ECG changes
- ECG evidence of necrosis (q waves)
- Imaging - loss of myocardium
ie. elevated troponin alone is not diagnostic
What are the 5 types of MI?
1 - usual MI, primary coronary event such as plaque rupture
2 - problem of oxygen supply and demand ie. patient doesn’t necessarily have CAD
3 - sudden cardiac death which includes signs of MI
4 - PCI associated MI (tn>x5 normal limit)
5 - CABG associated MI (tn>x10 normal), and new q waves or angiographic evidence
What events could cause a type 2 MI?
Coronary embolism
Arrhythmia
Anaemia
Hypotension
What does a Q wave represent?
Infarction of nearly the whole thickness of the myocardium
What is the pathophysiology of ACS?
Atherosclerosis leads to plaque rupture which gives off a thrombus. This can be:
- Occlusive - Acute MI, q wave
- Non-occlusive - unstable angina, NSTEMI
Describe a typical and atypical presentation of an MI?
Typical - central, crushing chest pain that radiates to the arms or jaw, accompanied by nausea, sweating, dizziness
Atypical - breathless, tachycardia, N&V, sweating (occur in elderly/diabetics)
Describe a typical and atypical presentation of angina?
Typical - (1) constricting discomfort in the chest, (2) precipitated by physical exertion and (3) relieved by rest or GTN spray in about 5 mins
Atypical - 2/3 of the above features
Why do we split ACS into STEMI and NSTEMI?
We split NSTEMI and STEMI because treatment is so different.
o STEMI – straight to cath lab and get coronary arteries opened up (urgent PCI)
o NSTEMI – there is no evidence that acute management will make a significant difference to the long-term prognosis (try to carry out PCI within 48 hours)
What is the ECG change that caries the highest 6 month mortality?
o T-wave inversion
o ST elevation
o ST depression
ACS mortality at 6 months (%)
o T-wave inversion – 3.4%
o ST elevation – 6.8%
o ST depression – 8.9%
What are the 3 factors that contribute to the diagnosis of ACS? (need 2 to diagnose ACS)
- Chest Pain (clinical manifestation)
- ECG changes consistent with ischaemia or necrosis. (perform immediately)
- Elevation of cardiac markers
When should you take the ECG of a patient with suspected ACS?
- Perform immediately
- If ECG is normal or non diagnostic in a patient with continuing symptoms repeat after 30mins
- If symptoms resolve repeat ECG after 2 hours – changes can occur late
- Repeat ECG if pain persists
What is the implication of gross ST elevation or tombstoning on ECG
Go straight to PCI
Which leads correlate to the Anterior/Septal region of the heart? Which artery is likely to be occluded?
V1-V4
LAD