Zero to Finals Flashcards
What investigation is used to diagnose congenital heart defects?
An echocardiogram is the initial investigation of choice for diagnosing congenital heart defects.
What is eisenmenger syndrome?
Patients with a VSD, ASD or PDA are usually not cyanotic. This is because the pressure in the left side of the heart is much greater than the right side, and blood will flow from the area of high pressure to the area of low pressure (left to right). This prevents a right-to-left shunt. If the pulmonary pressure increases beyond the systemic pressure, blood will start to flow from right to left across the defect, causing cyanosis. This is called Eisenmenger syndrome.
How do atrial septal defects present?
Atrial septal defects are often picked up on antenatal scans or newborn examinations. It may be asymptomatic in childhood and present in adulthood with:
- Dyspnoea (shortness of breath) secondary to pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure
- Stroke in the context of venous thromboembolism (see below)
- Atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter
Causes of a pansystolic murmur:
When you hear a pan-systolic murmur it is worth giving your top differential but also mentioning the other causes of this type of murmur. The causes of a pan-systolic murmur are ventricular septal defect, mitral regurgitation and tricuspid regurgitation.
Coarctation of the aorta is associated strongly with what condition?
Turners syndrome
Coarctation of the aorta
Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital condition where there is a narrowing of the aortic arch, usually around the ductus arteriosus. The severity of the coarctation (or narrowing) can vary from mild to severe. It is often associated with an underlying genetic condition, particularly Turner’s syndrome.
How is coarctation of the aorta managed?
Percutaneous balloon angioplasty (stretching the stenosis), potentially with a stent inserted
Open surgical repair
Patients also need medical management of hypertension.
