Pericardial Disease Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two layers of the pericardium?

A

Visceral pericardium - inner serosal layer

Parietal pericardium - outer fibrous layer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What happens to the intrapericardial pressure (i.e. the pressure on fluid in pericardium) with breathing?

A

Negative pressure on inspiration
Positive pressure on expiration

But normally should only vary +/- 5 mm Hg

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is the definition of pericarditis?

A

Inflammation of pericardium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the two types of causes of acute pericarditis and which is more common?

A

Infectious - more common

Non-infectious

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What type of infections cause acute pericarditis and which is more common?

A

Viral - more common
TB
Pyogenic bacteria

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Which viruses typically cause viral (“idiopathic”) pericarditis?

A

Echovirus

Coxsackie B

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Is it helpful to get viral titers of someone with acute pericarditis?

A

No

By the time results are available, symptoms have abated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How does acute pericarditis appear?

A

Serofibrinous pericarditis - plasma proteins like fibrinogen, rough & shaggy, red and inflammed
“Bread and butter”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are clinical features of acute pericarditis?

A

Pleuritic chest pain - relieved by leaning forward, sitting up
Fever
Pericardial friction rub - 3 components
EKG abnormalities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Describe the pericardial friction rub that occurs in acute pericarditis

A

Will have scratching sounds when ventricles contract and relax, and when atria contract (3 components)
Sounds like creaking leather

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Describe the EKG abnormalities that occur in acute pericarditis

A

DIFFUSE ST elevation in all leads

PR depression - subtle, diagnostic of pericarditis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the treatment for acute pericarditis?

A

Self limiting - only need bed rest and NSAIDs

AVOID anticoagulants - will bleed into pericardium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What organisms will cause purulent pericarditis?

A

Staph and other gram negative rods

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How does purulent pericarditis appear?

A

Intense inflammatory response

Serosa is erythematous and coated with purulent exudate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How does hemorrhagic pericarditis appear?

A

Gross blood in pericardium

Usually due to trauma, TB, or cancer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the treatment for purulent pericarditis?

A

Catheter drainage
Antibiotics

Mortality very high

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the treatment for TB pericarditis?

A

Anti-TB meds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are possible non-infectious causes of pericarditis?

A
Post MI
Uremia
Cancer
Radiation induced
Connective-tissue disease
Drug-induced
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are the two forms of post MI pericarditis?

A

Early form - hear rub in 10-15% of STEMI patients

Late form - Dressler’s syndrome
Hear rub 2 weeks-several months after STEMI, possible autoimmune related

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Which cancers typically can cause non-infectious pericarditis?

A

Lung
Lymphoma
Breast

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Which connective-tissue disorders can cause non-infectious pericarditis?

A

Lupus

Rheumatoid arthritis

22
Q

Which drugs can cause non-infectious pericarditis?

A

Procainamide

Hydralazine

23
Q

What volume of pericardial fluid qualifies as pericardial effusion?

A

> 50 cc

24
Q

What are characteristics of transudate?

A

Clear fluid
Low protein content
Filtrate across vascular wall
Non-inflammatory

25
Q

What are characteristics of exudate?

A

Increased vascular permeability
High protein content
Fibrous, bloody, or pus
Infection, cancer, collagen vascular

26
Q

What are the three major organs/organ systems that cause transudates?

A
Heart failure (CHF)
Liver failure (cirrhosis)
Renal failure (nephrotic syndrome)
27
Q

What is a hemopericardium effusion?

A

Free blood in the effusion

= rupture

28
Q

What is a chylopericardium effusion?

A
Free chyle (milky) in the effusion
= lymphatic obstruction by cancer, inflammation, injury to lymphatics
29
Q

What are the symptoms of pericardial effusion?

A

NONE - asymptomatic

30
Q

What are clinical features of a pericardial effusion?

A

Reduced heart sounds
Inability to feel apical beat
Ewart’s sign - dullness over posterior lung

But these can be absent if effusion isn’t very large

31
Q

What is the most useful tool to diagnose a pericardial effusion?

A

Echocardiogram

32
Q

What is the definition of cardiac tamponade?

A

Hemodynamic abnormalities that result from accumulation of pericardial effusion UNDER PRESSURE

33
Q

What occurs to the diastolic pressures (“filling pressures”) when there is tamponade?

A

Equalization of all filling pressures

Diastolic pressures can not be less than the pericardial pressure that is compressing them

34
Q

What are the hemodynamic consequences of an equalization of filling pressures in tamponade?

A

Equalization of pressures –> decrease in filling of ventricles –> SV decreases –> CO decreases –> hypotension, shock, death

35
Q

What is the most important factor in determining how high the pressure gets in the pericardium?

A

Rate of accumulation

i.e. get tamponade acutely from hemorrhage, pressure will skyrocket quickly

36
Q

What are causes of tamponade?

A
Anything that causes acute pericarditis
Cancer
Uremia
Post viral
Hemorrhage
37
Q

What is the classic triad of clinical signs of tamponade?

A

Beck’s triad

Increased venous pressure
Hypotension (from the decreased CO)
Diminished heart sounds

38
Q

What is the most important physical finding in tamponade?

A

Pulsus paradoxus

39
Q

Describe the phenomenon of pulsus paradoxus

A

Decrease in systolic BP > 10 mm Hg during NORMAL inspiration

When you inspire, lungs take up a little more blood, so have slightly less blood returning to LA. In normal people, this only changes BP by ~1-2 mm Hg. In tamponade, this is >10 mm Hg.

40
Q

What are clues to tamponade on echocardiogram?

A

Pericardial effusion (can’t have tamponade without effusion!)
RA collapse
RV collapse
Dilated IVC (backup of blood since chambers can’t expand)

41
Q

What are clues to tamponade on EKG?

A

Electrical alternans (amplitude of QRS varies from beat to beat)

Due to movement of effusion fluid

42
Q

What is the definitive test to define tamponade that is done in the cath lab?

A

Measure diastolic pressures of all chambers

Equalization of diastolic pressures = tamponade

43
Q

How do you treat cardiac tamponade?

A

Pericardiocentesis - stick needle in, extract fluid
Pericardial window - cut window for fluid to exit
Pericardiotomy - remove entire pericardium

44
Q

What is constrictive pericarditis?

A

“Egg shell disease”

Thick and stiff pericardium around the heart

45
Q

What are causes of constrictive pericarditis?

A

TB
Surgery - bleeding in pericardium can scar over time and become stiff
Radiation

46
Q

What other pathology can constrictive pericarditis look like and how could you differentiate?

A
Appears like tamponade
Be suspicious if patient exhibits:
- Heart failure
- Liver cirrhosis
- Intra-abdominal tumor
47
Q

What are clues of constrictive pericarditis on physical exam?

A

Pericardial knock
Prominent “y” descent in jugular vein
Kussmaul’s sign

48
Q

On a chest xray, what is diagnostic of constrictive pericarditis?

A

Pericardial calcification

Looks like an egg shell around heart

49
Q

What are clues of constrictive pericarditis on pressure curve?

A

Square root sign - “dip and plateau”

Heart can only dilate through first third of diastole, but ‘egg shell’ stops it from dilating through the rest of diastole

This is what causes the pericardial knock heard

50
Q

How do you treat constrictive pericarditis?

A

Surgery