Cardiac Pathology Flashcards
(261 cards)
What are the six principal mechanisms that can cause heart failure?
1) Failure of the pump
2) Obstruction to flow
3)Regurgitant flow
4)Shuntedflow
5)Disorders of cardiac conduction.
6)Rupture of the heart or major vessel.
What is congenital heart disease and what percentage of birth defects does it account for?
Congenital heart disease includes structural abnormalities from faulty embryogenesis; it accounts for 20-30% of all birth defects.
What are the main groups of congenital heart disease based on hemodynamics?
1) Left-to-right shunt
2) Right-to-left shunt (cyanotic)
What is the most common type of left-to-right shunt in congenital heart disease?
Atrial septal defects (ASDs) ventricular septal defects (VSDs)
What is Eisenmenger syndrome?
A condition where prolonged left-to-right shunting leads to pulmonary hypertension and reversal to a right-to-left shunt causing cyanosis.
What is Tetralogy of Fallot?
The most common cyanotic congenital heart disease with four key features: VSD right ventricular outflow obstruction
What causes the “boot-shaped” heart in Tetralogy of Fallot?
Right ventricular hypertrophy.
What is transposition of the great arteries?
A condition where the aorta arises from the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery from the left ventricle causing separation of systemic and pulmonary circulation.
What are the two classic forms of aortic coarctation?
1) Infantile (preductal) form
2) Adult (postductal) form.
What are Berry aneurysms?
Thin-walled outpouchings in cerebral vessels usually at branch points around the Circle of Willis; can rupture and cause fatal hemorrhage.
What is hypertensive vascular disease and what are its main effects?
High blood pressure leading to risks of stroke
What is the essential feature of hypertensive heart disease?
Left ventricular hypertrophy causing diastolic filling impairment and increased oxygen demand.
What is cor pulmonale?
Right-sided heart disease due to pulmonary hypertension often secondary to chronic lung disease or pulmonary vascular disease.
What are the two main types of arteriosclerosis?
1) Arteriolosclerosis (small arteries) with hyaline and hyperplastic types
What is atherosclerosis?
An intimal lesion (atheromatous plaque) that can obstruct blood flow rupture
What are modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis?
Modifiable Major Risk Factors
i. Hyperlipidemia and, more specifically, hypercholesterolemia ii.hypertension. iii.cigarette smoking. iv.Diabetes mellitus. v.Inflammation. vi. Hyperhomocysteinemia.
vii. Metabolic syndrome
What is Monckeberg medial calcific sclerosis?
Calcification of the media in medium-sized muscular arteries; usually not clinically significant.
What is an aortic dissection?
An intimal tear with blood dissecting through the aortic media often due to HTN or connective tissue disorders.
What are the types of aortic dissections?
Type A (proximal) involving ascending aorta; Type B (distal) starting beyond subclavian artery.
What are the common causes of ischemic heart disease?
Reduced coronary blood flow due to atherosclerosis coronary thrombosis
What is angina pectoris and what are its types?
Chest pain from ischemia without cell death; types include stable
What are transmural and subendocardial infarctions?
Transmural: full-thickness infarct with ST elevation (STEMI). Subendocardial: inner third infarct without ST elevation (NSTEMI).
What is reperfusion injury?
Additional injury when blood flow is restored to previously ischemic tissue leading to inflammation and capillary damage.
What is dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)?
A disease with four-chamber hypertrophy and dilation causing systolic dysfunction and heart failure.