Y4 - Paediatric Cardiology Flashcards
What sort of congenital heart defects can cause decompensation and heart failure?
All of them
In which situation will you get cyanosis?
Only if there is a right to left shunt
What investigations should you do for suspected congenital heart disease?
FBC, CXR, PaO2, ECG, echo, cardiac catheter/advanced imaging techniques
How should you manage heart failure in babies with congenital heart disease?
Sit up right, oxygen, calories via NG tube, diuretics (e.g. furosemide)
Duct dependent conditions req. prostaglandins to keep the duct patent (alprostadil)
Transfer to neonatal cardiac centre
What are the symptoms of a small VSD?
Usually mild
What are the symptoms of large VSDs?
Tachypnoea, hypoxia, difficulty feeding, irritability, tachycardia, growth faltering
When do kids with VSD tend to present and why?
Tend to present between 3-6 weeks
Lung vasculature in neonate is very stiff and so pressure in lungs is very high, but as child grows older, gradually the vasculature relaxes and the pressure falls (lowest at 6 weeks)
Between 3-6w reaches critical level and floods the lungs –> pulmonary oedema and hypoxia
What are the signs of VSD?
Loud harsh pansystolic murmur at L sternal edge + thrill
What is the course of a VSD?
Small ones & muscular ones tend to close on their own
Larger ones more likely to need surgery
What is a VSD?
A hole connecting the ventricles
True or false:
In VSD, smaller holes give louder murmurs.
True
What is a major complication of VSD?
Pulmonary hypertension as pulmonary vessels become stiff
How do you manage VSD?
Diuretics and vasodilators
Optimise feeding to improve weight
Open heart surgery if large and req.
What is an ASD?
Failure of closure of the septum between the atria
What does the atrial septum do?
Separates the right and left atria
Describe the development of the atrial septum
- Septum primum grows downward & leaves gap at bottom (ostium primum)
- Septum primum fuses with endocardial cushion closing gap between R & L atria completely
- Hole appears in upper part of septum primum (ostium secundum)
- Septum secundum grows down parallel & to the right of septum primum which covers the ostium secundum but leaves an opening (foramen ovale)
(This all creates a one way valve allowing blood to go from the R to L atrium)
What is the function of the foramen ovale in the foetal circulation?
It allows the already oxygenated blood (from the placenta) to bypass the R ventricle and lungs and go into the L atrium
What happens to the septum secundum & primum at birth?
They snap closed and fuse to close the foramen ovale
What are most ASDs due to defects in?
Ostium secundum (secudum septum doesn’t form properly)
What conditions are ASDs related to?
Down’s syndrome
Foetal alcohol syndrome
What is the pathophysiology of an ASD?
Higher pressure in L side of heart means blood is shunted from L to R
True or false:
ASD is a cyanotic heart defect
False
Acyanotic
What sort of murmur do you get in ASD?
Ejection systolic murmur in pulmonary area
Extra blood in R atrium & therefore R ventricle so more blood and therefore turbulence as the blood is going through the pulmonary artery
What other sign may indicate ASD?
Wide and fixed second heart sound
P2 is widened as there is more blood in the RV and so more blood passing through the pulmonary artery on systole so valve takes longer to close than the aortic
Fixed as consistently more blood being pumped (unlikely physiological splitting of HS on inspiration due to increased intrathoracic pressure)
What causes physiological splitting of the second heart sound?
Inspiration increases intrathoracic pressure, which pulls more blood into the right side of the heart which means there is more blood pumping through the pulmonary artery and thus it closes later than the aortic valve
How do most people with ASD present?
Most asymptomatic
How would you diagnose as ASD?
Using echo
How do you Rx ASD?
If very small may close on its own
Ample T device (access through femoral)
Larger ones may req. open heart surgery
What condition is ASVD associated with?
Down’s (40-50% of Down’s babies will have one)
What parts of the heart does an ASVD involve?
Atrial and ventricle septa
AV valves