WEEK 4 - acute-on-chronic breathlessness Flashcards
what does the P wave represent?
atrial contraction
what represents ventricular contraction on an ECG?
QRS complex
what happens in the isoelectric line between the end of the T wave and the beginning of the next P wave?
passive atrial filling
what closes/opens in the QRS complex?
- tricuspid and mitral valves close
- aortic and pulmonary valves open
when on an ECG are the tricuspid and mitral valves open and the atria are relaxed?
isoelectric line between end of T wave and beginning of next P wave
what does diaphoretic mean?
sweating heavily
Ankle oedema, hepatomegaly and elevated JVP suggests _____________ and bibasal crepitations suggest ___________.
- right heart failure
- left heart failure
Although this is no longer routinely advised in acute heart failure, low dose _____________ can be very effective in acute pulmonary oedema due to its anxiolytic properties, alongside reduction in pre-load. However, it can lead to respiratory depression and therefore must be used with caution in patients who are already hypoxic
morphine
unless the patient has cardiac sounding chest pain, a history suspicious for myocarditis or ischaemic ECG changes, a _________ is unlikely to be helpful, and can often lead to more confusion regarding the diagnosis
troponin
Aimed to determine if patient has had myocardial injury which this is often linked to acute coronary syndrome, but is frequently elevated for other reasons (eg: infection, tachy or bradycardia, hypertension, decompensated heart failure, pulmonary embolism, myocarditis and therefore if raised, is not specific for acute coronary syndrome).
what is this describing:
This is a cardiac neurohormone biomarker which is secreted from the heart when it is under stress. This is a useful test to perform in a patient with shortness of breath, as a normal result will exclude acute heart failure. It is often used as a prognostic marker in chronic heart failure
BNP
What term is used to describe the condition where breathlessness is made worse by lying flat?
orthopnoea
often a symptom of left ventricular failure and/or pulmonary oedema but is also experienced by patients with chronic respiratory disorders
In heart failure, orthopnoea occurs because on lying flat, there is increased venous return to the heart from the ______ extremities of the body. This results in increased blood flow to the _________ circulation. In normal physiology, the left ventricular stroke volume will increase to compensate. However, in heart failure, the weakened heart isn’t strong enough to pump out this extra volume, leading to pooling of blood in the pulmonary circulation. Elevated intravascular pressure in the pulmonary circulation results in fluid leakage into the alveoli, and therefore _______________.
- lower
- pulmonary
- pulmonary oedema
Why is the jugular venous pressure important and what does it show?
JVP is an indirect measurement of the central venous pressure, and thus the pressure in the right atrium
where can you apply pressure to make the JVP visible?
liver (this is the hepatojugular reflex)
(pressing on the liver does not alter the carotid pulse)
what are 5 causes of an elevated JVP?
- right ventricular failure
- tricuspid regurgitation or stenosis
- pericardial effusion or constrictive pericarditis
- superior venous cava obstruction
- volume overload (many reasons for this, congestive heart failure, renal failure, iatrogenic)
how are murmurs graded?
1 to 4
grade 1 : murmur is heard only on listening intently for some time
grade 2 : a faint murmur that is heard immediately on auscultation
grade 3 : a loud murmur with no palpable thrill
grade 4 : a loud murmur with a palpable thrill
the chance that blood flow will be turbulent in a situation is dependent on its what?
Reynold’s number
what can murmurs be produced by?
- low viscosity of blood (eg. anaemia)
- decreased radius of vessel or valve (eg. valvular stenosis, coarction of the aorta, ventricular septal defect)
- increased velocity of blood through morphologically normal structures (hyper dynamic states eg. sepsis, hyperthyroidism)
- regurgitation across an incompetent valve (valvular regurgitation)
what things cause systolic murmurs?
“flow murmurs”
- aortic/pulmonic stenosis
- mitral/tricuspid regurgitation
- ventricular septal defect
- aortic outflow tract obstruction
what things cause diastolic murmurs?
- aortic/pulmonic regurgitation
- mitral/tricuspid stenosis
what causes a continuous murmur?
patent ductus arteriosus
what are the 3 murmur shapes? when are they heard?
- crescendo-decrescendo
- decrescedno
- uniform (aka plateau or if in systole, holosystolic)
1 + 3 heard in systole
2 heard in diastole
what are 2 endocrine causes of HF?
thyrotoxicosis and phaeochromocytoma
describe the New York Heart Association classification of HF
1-4
other than breathlessness, what are some signs/symptoms of HF?
- pulmonary oedema/pleural effusion
- raised JVP
- pulmonary crackles
- pitting oedema
- ascites
- tachycardia
- S3 Gallop
- loss of energy/tiredness
normal levels of ____ rule out heart failure
BNP
what 2 groups are patients with heart failure divided into according to their ejection fraction?
(normal EF approx 60%)
HF with preserved LV function (EF > 45%)
HF with LV systolic dysfunction (EF < 45%)
what can be seen on ECG in HF?
- presence of AF/other arrhythmias
- presence of evidence of old AMI; aetiology
- presence of LBBB; may guide therapy such as specialist device therapy
- LVH; may indicate hypertension, aortic stenosis, HOCM
treatment of HF is dependent on what?
LV function
treatment of HF with preserved LV function
- diuretics
- treatment of co-morbidities (HTN, DM)
treatment of HF with impaired systolic function
EF < 45%
- diuretics
- ACEi
- beta blockers
- ARBs
- devices : CRT / ICD
what beta blockers are/are not licensed for treatment of HF?
- bisoprolol
- carvedilol
- nebivolol
- metoprolol (modified release)
ATENOLOL is NOT LICENSED
in chest x rays, what are the ABCDE findings of heart failure?
A - Alveolar oedema (bat-wing opacity)
B - kerley B lines (interstitial oedema)
C - Cardiomegaly
D - Dilated upper lobe vessels
E - pleural Effusion (often bilateral)
the Frank Starling curve represents the relationship between what?
the preload and the stroke volume
effect of acidosis on heart contractility?
decreases it