Week 1 - Cardiovascular Emergencies Flashcards
Formula for assessment or heart condition?
Signs and symptoms + risk factors = diagnosis/differential diagnosis.
-> pathophysiology -> treatment.
Indicators of Cardiac involvement (7 of them)
- Chest pain
- Dyspnoea (shortness of breath)
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- TLoC/Syncope (transient loss of consciousness)
-palpitations - Oedema (swelling - build up of fluids)
Acute Coronary Syndroms (ACS) - symptoms?
Oldcarts Formula:
O - Onset: Typically worsens gradually.
L - Location: chest pain, usually retrosternal ~ aching, pressure, burning sensations.
D - Duration: Chest pain may come on quickly (rapid onset), pain may come and go (recurrent or intermittent pain) , pain may be exacerbated by exercise (over exertion) and rest (remaining too sedentary).
C - Characteristics; Aching, Pressure, Tightness, burning sensations.
A - Aggravating/ factors:
Exercise, over exertion, smoking , drugs , alcohol.
R - Radiation: pain can radiate to the Clavicles (shoulders) , arms, upper belly area (abdominal pain) , back, neck or Mandible (jaw).
T - Treatment: beta blockers
SOCRATES FORMULA:
S - Site: chest pain (often retrosternal)
O - Onset: typically worsens gradually.
C - Character: typically dull ache, weight on chest + tightness and burning.
A - Aggravating factors
R - Radiates: can be radiating to either arm or jaw.
A - Associated Symptoms: pallor , diaphoresis, nausea or vomiting, anxiety, shortness of breath and fatigue.
T - Time interval: constant
E- Exacerbating/relieving Factors: can worsen with palpitation of chest wall but not typically.
S - Severity: can be mild to severe.
Common ACS conditions?
• ST-segment-elevation Myocardial infarction
• non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)
• unstable angina.
Artherscelrosis - what is it?
Build up of fatty deposits in the vessel wall. Causes reduction of blood flow and can also rupture.
Ishcaemia and Infarction meanings?
• Ischaemia = reduction of blood supply causing shortage of oxygen.
• Infarction = tissue death (Necrosis) due to lack of blood supply.
How long do people with Stemi typically have before half of salvageable myocardium is lost?
1 hour for half to be lost.
3 hours for 2/3 to be lost.
3 types of heart failure?
• Chronic Heart Failure (HF): long terms diagnosis and high prevalence. Treated in the community.
• Acute on Chronic HF: diagnosis of HF but symptoms get randomly worse.
•Acute HF: think ACS (First presentation of symptoms)
How many people approximately have heart failure on the UK?
900,000 and approximately 900,000 undiagnosed.
What is the average age of HEART FAILURE (HF) diagnosis?
76 years old.
Aortic Aneurysm Risk Factors?
-Atherosclerosis
-Hypertension
-Trauma Marfan syndrome
-Hypertension
-Smoking Family Hx
-Syphilis and other infections
- Congenital defects
AV fistula?
A surgical connection between an
artery and a vein, usually in the arm.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)?
*Presents with swollen, painful, and warm limb, typically without pallor or pulselessness.
*Confirmed by venous Doppler ultrasound.
Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)?
*Can cause weakness or numbness in a limb.
*Lack of vascular features differentiates it from ALI.
Raynaud’s?
*Episodic pallor and pain triggered by cold or stress.
*Usually bilateral and resolves spontaneously.
AV Graft?
A synthetic tube or material used to
connect an artery to a vein, serving as a
bridge.
The artery’s higher pressure and blood flow enlarge
and strengthen the vein over time. This process,
called maturation, allows the vein to handle
repeated needle insertions and higher blood flow
needed for dialysis.
what is auscultation?
HEART SOUNDS
What is PPCI?
Primary percutaneous coronary intervention
How to palpate?
- Feel chest (is it tender etc?)
- take pulse (is it hard/soft pulse?)
What is CCU?
Coronary Care Unit
What is stable Angina?
A narrowing of the patients coronary arteries (THAT THE PATIENT WILL BE AWARE OF)
What is used to treat stable Angina/Angina?
GTN spray (Glyceryl trinitrate)
