Yr4 GenMed - Lectures Flashcards
What is Wellens Syndrome?
Wellens Syndrome is a clinical syndrome characterised by biphasic or deeply inverted T waves in V2-3, plus a history of recent chest pain now resolved. It is highly specific for critical stenosis of the left anterior descending artery (LAD).
- The pattern is usually present in the pain free state — it may be obscured during episodes of ischaemic chest pain, when there is “pseudonormalisation” of T waves in V2-3.
- Patients may be pain free by the time the ECG is taken, and have normal or minimally elevated cardiac enzymes. However, they are at extremely high risk for extensive anterior wall MI within the subsequent days to weeks
- Due to the critical LAD stenosis, these patients usually require invasive therapy, do poorly with medical management, and may suffer MI or cardiac arrest if inappropriately stress tested
What is Entresto? What is it used for?
Entresto = Sacubitril / Valsartan
Give differentials for breathlessness:
- 5 Lung diseases?
- 5 Heart diseases?
- 3 Pulmonary artery conditions?
- 5 Blood diseases?
What is Heart Failure?
- Simplest Definition?
- 4 Basic causes?
- New Universal Definition of Heart Failure?
- HFrEF? HFmrEF? HFpEF? HFimpEF?
Heart Failure
- Simplest definition: The Inability of the heart to meet the demands of the body
- Multiple causes:
1. Increased demand of the body
2. Weak pump (systolic failure)
3. Stiff pump (diastolic failure)
4. Combination
Outline a Diagnostic Algorithm for Heart Failure
- 10 possible exam findings?
- 6 initial investigations?
Outline the New York Heart Association classification of HF.
- What history would you take?
- What would you look for on examination? (6)
History of HF
- Breathlessness: How far? how much exercise? Breathless at rest; minimal exertion?
- Orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea?
- Chest discomfort to suggest myocardial ischaemia
- Cough, wheeze, respiratory symptoms
- Systemic symptoms e.g. systemic diseases
- Prior history, e.g. prior diagnosis and investigations
Outline how a patient may be investigated for unexplained breathlessness in WA.
- List 5 Risk Factors and Comorbidities associated with HF?
Risk Factors and Comorbidity with HF
1. Hypertension = 53%
2. AF = 42%
3. Respiratory disease = 32%
4. Diabetes = 27%
5. Renal dysfunction = 17%
What investigations would you order for heart failure? (4)
- HF Classification by LVEF?
Investigations for Heart Failure
1. Echocardiography - Global or Regional & Valves,shunts
2. Laboratory investigations - Kidney, liver, thyroid, glucose, lipids, iron
3. Coronary imaging - Regional LV dysfunction more likely to be coronary disease
4. Assess for systemic disease - Amyloid (e.g.multiple myeloma), Toxins (e.g.alcohol), Fe and Cu studies, Hepatitis and HIV, Autoimmune screen
How does the mortality of HF compare in men vs. women?
Systolic Heart Failure and Mortality
- Men and Women are different
- More men have impaired LVEF (17.6% vs 8.3%)
- Risk in women starts at a higher LVEF (<65%) than in men (<60%)
- Heart failure is a spectrum:
1. Not all heart failure is systolic (>50% has normal LVEF)
2. Not all systolic heart failure behaves the same
3. Not everyone with systolic heart failure has the same EF
What are the severity classification of Systolic Heart Failure?
- List 8 causes of systolic HF?
Systolic Heart Failure
- Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFREF)
- Ejection Fraction (EF) < 50% = Impaired EF
- …although strictly LVEF <55% abnormal
- Mild = EF 40% to 50%
- Moderate = EF 30% to 40%
- Severe = EF < 30%
- At diagnosis….Goal is to “restore normal”
What are the differences between Global LV dysfunction vs. Regional LV dysfunction? (4)
What investigation should all patients with significant LV dysfunction have and why?
Global systolic dysfunction
- All walls are affected equally and EF will decrease.
- May be due to coronary disease, but more commonly caused by a cardiomyopathy (e.g. viral).
Regional LV dysfunction
- Single wall or region is abnormal
- Regional wall motion abnormality usually caused by coronary disease (impairment in coronary artery distribution).
- Occasionally regional but outside of coronary artery distribution (e.g. sarcoidosis).
- Ejection fraction may still be normal if only small region of dysfunction
Investigating LV dysfunction
- Because of the frequency of coronary artery disease, all patients with significant LV dysfunction should have coronary artery imaging
- If coronary arteries are normal, alternative causes should be sought
Diastolic Heart Failure
- What is it?
- Hallmark feature?
- 4 main causes?
- Assessment?
Diastolic Heart Failure - HFPEF
- “Failure To Relax”
- Clinical Heart Failure with Normal Ejection Fraction = HFPEF = EF>50%
- Caused by a stiff left ventricle – Like leather, will not stretch Hallmark is high filling pressure
- Abnormal myocardial relaxation occurs in many conditions, especially:
1. Myocardial ischaemia
2. Systolic dysfunction
3. Hypertrophy
4. Infiltration
4 types of Left ventricular hypertrophy?
Infiltration
- Increased LV mass may be entirely muscle, or matter deposited with muscle
- E.g. Amyloid
- Concentric hypertrophy
Outline the Mortality of Diastolic Function.
- Rule of 9s?
- 4 Markers of Diastolic dysfunction?
Diastolic Function
and Mortality - Rule of 9s
- Diastolic function is age dependent
- No significant sex-dependency
- Influenced by LVEF, valve disease, prior surgery, and AF
- Rule of 9’s, associated with higher mortality:
1. E velocity > 90cm/s
2. e’ velocity < 9cm/s
3. E:e’ ratio > 9
4. LA volume index > 34ml/m2
List 6 Complications of Heart failure.
Complications of Heart failure
1. Atrial fibrillation - Left atrial stretch produces spontaneous left atrial depolarisation and eventually atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is very common in diastolic dysfunction, so-called “substrate AF”. Stasis and risk of thrombus
2. Mitral regurgitation - secondary to a dilated left ventricle. Poor coaptation of the mitral valve leaflets due to dilatation and papillary muscle displacement / dysfunction
3. Right heart failure
4. Pulmonary hypertension - Increased pulmonary venous congestion results in pulmonary vein dilatation. Pulmonary venules and pulmonary capillaries become engorged with blood, resulting in alveolar exudates (pulmonary oedema)
5. Thrombi - Left atrial appendage in AF = A potential source of thrombus & risk of stroke
6. Renal dysfunction
Outline how heart failure can lead to pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary Hypertension
- ANY cause for LV diastolic dysfunction can result in heart failure:
- Hypertension or aortic stenosis
- Ischaemic or nonischaemic cardiomyopathy
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
- Constriction
- The final common pathway of heart failure due to left heart disease is PULMONARY HYPERTENSION
- Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease is the commonest cause for pulmonary hypertension
- Median time from diagnosis to death is 4.1 years
Outline a simple blood test to measure heart failure.
- Role in acute breathlessness?
BNP - a simple test for heart failure
- B-type natriuretic peptide is a small hormone released by cardiac muscle (mostly LV), and causes salt and water excretion.
- BNP is released in response to wall stretch and is dependent on muscle mass: LV, then RV, with small amounts in LA and RA. Useful in both diastolic and systolic heart failure.
- High BNP levels are a strong marker of LV dysfunction, and predicts death.
Outline the Formulae for heart failure treatment (1-4).
- Outline Formula 1.
Formula 1: Reverse underlying cause
- Revascularisation in LV dysfunction
- If abnormal systolic function is caused by a coronary artery stenosis, revascularisation may restore normal systolic function
- Revascularisation may be percutaneous (angioplasty and stenting) or surgical (bypass grafting)
- Hypokinetic myocardium may return to normal
- Hibernating myocardium (akinetic) may begin to function
- LV volumes may improve, MR may decrease
Formulae for heart failure treatment
- Formula 2: 9 Lifestyle recommendations?
- Which 10 medications should be avoided in HF?
Lifestyle recommendations in HF
1. Salt intake < 3g/day
2. Fluid < 2 l/day (relax in summer and after prolonged physical activity)
3. Measure weight daily to monitor fluid status
4. Avoid illicit drugs and smoking
5. Limit alcohol to no more than 10-20g/day (2 standard drinks)
6. Abstinence from alcohol if alcohol related cardiomyopathy
7. Influenza and pneumoccal vaccinations
8. For obese patients, lose weight
9. Encourage physical activity and consider an exercise training program
Formulae for heart failure treatment
- Formula 3: Drug therapy? (8)
Drug treatment for HF
1. Breathless patients should be given loop diuretics and fluid restriction
2. ACE inhibitor at max dose, or Valsartan/Sacubitril (ARB and neprolysin inhibitor)
3. Spironolactone (as aldosterone antagonist)
4. SGLT2 inhibitors (Dapagliflozin, Empagliflozin)
5. Maximum dose β-blockers if tolerated
6. Aspirin and Statin
7. Ivabradine (If inhibitor) if sinus rhythm and resting heart rate >77bpm
8. Treat Iron Deficiency and AF if present….
Should beta blockers be given to all patients with heart failure?
What about aspirin?
Aspirin in HF
Once atherosclerosis is present, lipid lowering therapy is required to:
1. Stabilize plaque
2. Slow progression
3. Decrease risk of ACS (via plaque stabilization)
Aspirin therapy is required to: Decrease risk of ACS (via thrombus prevention)
Outline the Causes of Iron Deficiency in HF.
- Ferritin and transferrin in HF?
- Definition of iron deficiency?
- 5 effects of iron deficiency on LV function? 4 clinical effects?
Ferritin and transferrin
- Intracellular iron is stored as ferritin and haemosiderin
- Excess intracellular ferritin spills into the blood stream causing serum ferritin to rise.
- Ferritin is also an acute phase reactant - any inflammation will cause it to rise
- Transferrin transports iron.
- Transferrin saturation is the percent loaded with iron.
- Transferrin is a negative acute phase reactant - during inflammation it will fall
- During chronic illness (e.g. CHF): Ferritin rises and transferrin falls due to increased hepcidin levels and sequestration of iron
- Iron Deficiency = Ferritin <100 μg/L or Ferritin <300 μg/L if TSAT <20%
What is the role of Oral Iron in heart failure?
Use of Oral Iron in heart failure
- Heart failure alters regulation of duodenal iron transportation, decreases intestinal permeability, and decreases iron absorption.
- Oral iron (ferrous) is ineffective in restoring normal iron levels in the setting of heart failure, and further worsened with PPI use.
- Oral iron does not improve functional status, quality of life or hospital admission rate.
- IV FCM is superior to oral iron in improving iron levels.
Epilepsy
- Epidemiology?
- What is the difference between Epilepsy & Seizures?
- Incidence by age group?
Epilepsy
- a disorder of brain function
- where there is a tendency for recurrent seizures (>2 unprovoked seizures > 24hrs apart)
- Diagnosis of an “epilepsy syndrome”
- requires therapy
Seizures
- an event in which there is disruption of the normal electrochemical activity of the brain
- Sudden uncontrolled electrical discharge from neurons
- Can fire >500 times per second (>6X normal frequency) causing:
1. strange sensations
2. Emotions
3. Behaviour
4. Convulsions or abnormal movements