Week 3: Cardiovascular 2

Question 1

What is pericarditis?

Answer 1

Inflammation of the pericardium (outer heart layer), causing chest pain and possible fluid buildup.

Question 2

What are the two types of pericarditis?

Answer 2

Acute Pericarditis – Sudden, often due to infection.

Chronic Pericarditis – Long-term, often due to kidney disease.

Question 3

What is pericardial effusion?

Answer 3

Excess fluid in the pericardial space, which can compress the heart.

Question 4

What is cardiac tamponade?

Answer 4

A life-threatening condition where excess fluid prevents the heart from beating properly.

Question 5

What are the symptoms of pericarditis?

Answer 5

Sharp chest pain (worse lying down, better leaning forward).

Pericardial friction rub (rubbing sound).

Shortness of breath if tamponade develops.

Question 6

What are cardiomyopathies?

Answer 6

Diseases of the heart muscle, affecting its ability to pump blood.

Question 7

What are the two main types of cardiomyopathy?

Answer 7

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) – Enlarged, weak heart chambers.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) – Thickened heart walls with small chambers.

Question 8

What causes dilated cardiomyopathy?

Answer 8

Heart attacks (ischemic damage).

Kidney failure (fluid overload).

Viral infections (COVID-19, Chagas disease).

Question 9

What causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Answer 9

Chronic hypertension (high BP).
Aortic stenosis (narrowed aortic valve).

Question 10

What is the main risk of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Answer 10

Increased risk of sudden cardiac death, especially in young athletes.

Question 11

What are valvular dysfunctions?

Answer 11

Diseases affecting heart valves, leading to improper blood flow.

Question 12

What are the three main types of valve disorders?

Answer 12

Stenosis – Valve narrowing, restricting blood flow.

Insufficiency (regurgitation) – Valve leakage, causing backward blood flow.

Prolapse – Valve bulges backward into the atrium.

Question 13

What happens in aortic stenosis?

Answer 13

The aortic valve narrows, making it harder for the left ventricle to pump blood to the body.

Question 14

What happens in mitral stenosis?

Answer 14

The mitral valve narrows, making it difficult for blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle.

Question 15

What is aortic regurgitation?

Answer 15

The aortic valve fails to close completely, causing blood to leak back into the left ventricle.

Question 16

What is mitral valve prolapse?

Answer 16

The mitral valve bulges into the left atrium, sometimes leading to valve leakage.

Question 17

What is rheumatic fever?

Answer 17

An autoimmune reaction after a Group A Streptococcus infection (strep throat), damaging the heart.

Question 18

How does rheumatic fever affect the heart?

Answer 18

Can cause endocarditis, myocarditis, or pericarditis.

Often leads to valvular stenosis.

Question 19

What is infective endocarditis?

Answer 19

A bacterial infection of the heart valves, leading to bacterial growths.

Question 20

What are the three critical elements of infective endocarditis?

Answer 20

Valvular damage.

Bacteremia (bacteria in the blood).

Vegetation formation (bacterial colonies on valves).

Question 21

What causes infective endocarditis?

Answer 21

Poor dental hygiene.
IV drug use.
Contaminated catheters.

Question 22

What are arrhythmias?

Answer 22

Disruptions in the heart’s electrical impulses, causing abnormal heartbeats.

Question 23

What is atrial fibrillation (AFib)?

Answer 23

An irregular, fast atrial rhythm that increases stroke risk due to blood clot formation.

Question 24

What is ventricular fibrillation (VFib)?

Answer 24

A life-threatening arrhythmia where the ventricles quiver instead of pumping blood.

Question 25

What are heart blocks?

Answer 25

Electrical signals are delayed or blocked, disrupting the heart's rhythm.

Question 26

What are congenital heart defects (CHDs)?

Answer 26

Anatomical malformations of the heart or major vessels present at birth.

Question 27

What are the two types of CHDs?

Answer 27

Cyanotic CHDs – Cause blue skin (hypoxia). Acyanotic CHDs – Do not cause cyanosis.

Question 28

What are major risk factors for CHDs?

Answer 28

Maternal infections (TORSCHH infections). Prematurity, Down syndrome, alcohol exposure, maternal diabetes.

Question 29

What is patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)?

Answer 29

A blood vessel fails to close after birth, causing abnormal blood flow.

Question 30

What is a left-to-right shunt?

Answer 30

Blood moves from the higher-pressure left side of the heart to the lower-pressure right side, increasing lung circulation.

Question 31

What are atrial & ventricular septal defects (ASD & VSD)?

Answer 31

Holes in the heart's atrial or ventricular septum, causing abnormal blood mixing.

Question 32

How are CHDs diagnosed?

Answer 32

Newborns often have a heart murmur, which can be detected via ultrasound or echocardiogram.

Question 33

How are CHDs treated?

Answer 33

Small defects may close on their own. Larger defects may require surgical correction.

Question 34

What are the layers of the pericardium?

Answer 34

Visceral pericardium (epicardium): Inner layer, attached to the heart. Pericardial space: Contains lubricating fluid to prevent friction. Parietal pericardium: Outer layer, attached to surrounding structures.

Question 35

What are the key signs of cardiac tamponade? (Beck’s Triad)

Answer 35

Hypotension – Reduced cardiac output. Muffled heart sounds – Due to fluid compression. Jugular venous distension (JVD) – Blood backs up in veins.

Question 36

What are causes of chronic pericarditis?

Answer 36

Uremia (kidney failure) → Inflammatory irritation. Radiation therapy → Long-term pericardial scarring. Autoimmune diseases (e.g., lupus, rheumatoid arthritis).

Question 37

What is diastolic dysfunction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

Answer 37

Thickened walls reduce ventricular filling, leading to reduced stroke volume.

Question 38

What type of murmur is heard in valvular insufficiency?

Answer 38

A regurgitant murmur (heard as whooshing) due to blood flowing backward.

Question 39

How is valvular disease diagnosed?

Answer 39

Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart). Doppler studies to assess blood flow.

Question 40

What is seen on ECG in heart blocks?

Answer 40

1st-degree block: Prolonged PR interval (signal delayed). 2nd-degree block: Some P waves fail to produce a QRS. 3rd-degree block: No signal gets through; atria & ventricles beat separately.