Cardiology Flashcards
(121 cards)
What is the purpose of the fetal shunts/why do fetus’ require fetal shunts?
Lungs are not fully developed or functional (fetus is not breathing) therefore there is no point in blood passing through the pulmonary circulation and secondly large volumes of blood passing through lungs could cause damage
For each of the 3 fetal shunts, state:
- The name of the shunt
- Where it shunts blood from and to
- What the shunt is trying to bypass
- Ductus venosus: umbilical vein to IVC to allowing blood to bypass liver
- Foramen ovale: right atrium to left atrium allowing blood to bypass right ventricle & the pulmonary circulation
- Ductus arteriosus: pulmonary artery to the aorta allowing blood to bypass the pulmonary circulation
Describe what happens to the fetal shunts at birth when baby takes it’s first breath
Foramen ovale
- When baby takes it’s first breath it expands the alveoli
- Causing decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance
- Causing fall in pressure in RA
- LA pressure > RA pressure
- Septum primum forced against septum secundum causing functional closure of foramen ovale (gets sealed shut few weeks later and becomes fossa ovalis)
Ductus Arteriosus
- Prostaglandins are required to keep it open
- Increased blood oxygenation causes decrease in circulating prostaglandins
- Therefore ductus arteriosus closes within 1-3 days after birth (in full term babies) and becomes ligamentum arteriosum
Ductus venosus
- Umbilical cord is clamped immediately after birth therefore there is no flow through umbilical veins hence ductus venosus stops functioning
- Closes a few days later to become ligamentum venosum
State some potential risk factors for congenital heart disease
While some things are known to increase the risk of congenital heart disease, no obvious cause is identified in most cases:
- Rubella infection in first 8-10 weeks pregnancy
- Influenza infection in first trimester
- Alcohol use during pregnancy (may lead to fetal alcohol syndrome which is associated with congenital heart disease)
- If mother has T1DM or T2DM (not gestational diabetes)
- Genetic conditions e.g. Down’s syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Turner syndrome
State the 8 cyanotic congenital heart conditions
*HINT: 5 T’s and 3 others
- Transposition of great arteries
- Tricuspid atresia
- Tetralogy of fallot
- Truncus arteriosus
- Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR)
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
- Pulmonary atresia
- Ebstein’s anomaly
State the 7 types of acyanotic congenital heart disease
- ASD
- VSD
- Atrioventricular septal defect
- PDA
- Congenital aortic stenosis
- Coarctation of the aorta
- Pulmonary valve stenosis
Innocent/flow murmurs are very common in children; what are innocent flow murmurs caused by?
Fast blood flow through various areas of heart during systole
State 5 characteristic features of innocent/flow murmurs
- Soft
- Short
- Systolic
- Symptomless
- Situation dependent (e.g. gets quieter with standing, only appears when child is unwell or feverish)
Innocent/flow murmurs with no concerning features may not require further investigations; state some features that would prompt further investigation & referral to paediatric cardiologist
- Murmur louder than 2/6
- Diastolic murmurs
- Louder on standing
- Other symptoms e.g. failure to thrive, feeding difficulty, cyanosis, SOB
If a murmur in a child required further investigations, what investigations would you do? (3)
- ECG
- CXR
- Echocardiography
Where would you best hear a pan-systolic murmur due to a ventricular septal defect?
Left lower sternal border
What is an ASD?
State the 4 different types of ASD- put in order of most common
ASD is a hole in the septum between the two atria causing blood to flow from L to R
Types:
- Ostium secondum (septum secondum fails to fully close/ostium secondum fails to close. At level of fossa ovalis. 70%)
- Ostium primum (septum primum fails to fully close/fuse with endocardial cushions. Can be partial with intact ventricular septum and AV valves or complete with associated ventricular septal and AV valve defects)
- Sinus venosus: located near top of atrial septum and frequently associated with abnormal connection of pulmonary vein(s) to the RA instead of the LA
- Unroofed coronary sinus: atrial septal defect characterized by a deficiency in the tissue separating the coronary sinus from the left atrium (LA). This results in partial or complete unroofing of the coronary sinus leading to a predominantly left-to-right shunt through the coronary sinus
*remember septum secundum is on the right
What would you hear on auscultation of heart in pt with ASD? Include:
- What murmur you hear
- Where it’s heard loudest
- Mid-systolic, crescendo-decrescendo murmur with a fixed split second heart sound
- Heard best at upper left sternal border (pulmonary valve area)
Explain the pathophysiology of fixed split heart sound
- Fixed split heart sound= does not change with inspiration or expiration
- Occurs in ASD because blood is flowing from LA to RA increasing the volume of blood in RA and therefore the RV. This increases the volume of blood the RV has to empty before the pulmonary valve can close hence the pulmonary valve closes after the aortic vavle
Explain the pathophysiology behind splitting of the second heart sound in relation to inspiration
- During inspiration the chest wall moves outwards and upwards and diaphragm moves down causing a decrease in thoracic pressure (known as negative intra-thoracic pressure) to increase volume of lungs. This also increases volume of heart.
- This decrease in pressure causes blood to flow faster into RA from the venous system
- The increased volume in the RV means it takes longer for the RV to empty during systole
- This causes a delay in the pulmonary valve closing
- Pulmonary valve closes slightly later than aortic valve causing split second heart sound
ASDs are often picked up through antenatal scans or new-born examinations. May be symptomatic or asymptomatic in childhood. Asymptomatic children may become symptomatic as an adult. Discuss how an adult with an ASD may present
- Dyspnoea
- Heart failure (right sided)
- DVT leading to stroke (DVT embolises to RA, flow via ASD into LA, into LV, into aorta, up to brain causing stroke. If didn’t have ASD would have embolised in lungs causing PE. COMMON EXAM Q)
ASDs are often picked up through antenatal scans or new-born examinations; may be asymptomatic or symptomatic in childhood. State some potential symptoms of ASD in childhood
- SOB
- Difficulty feeding
- Poor weight gain
- Frequent LRTI
ASDs do not lead to cyanosis as blood continues to flow through pulmonary arteries to lungs to get oxygenated; however, it can have consequences for the right side of the heart. Discuss these consequences
- Blood flows LA to RA
- Increased flow of blood to right side of heart and through pulmonary arteries
- This can lead to hypertrophy and enlargement of pulmonary trunk
- Leading to pulmonary hypertension
- This can lead to RV hypertrophy and right sided heart failure
**Eventually if pulmonary hypertension increases so that pulmonary pressure > systemic pressure shunt may reverse- flowing R to L- and pt would become cyanotic (Eisenmenger syndrome)
What might you find on ECG of child with ostium secondum ASD?
What might you find on ECG of child with ostium primum ASD?
- Ostium secondum: RBBB with RAD
- Ostium primum: RBBB with LAD, prolonged PR interval
May have tall P wave (P pulmonale) in both due to right atrial enlargement
Is a patent foramen ovale a true ASD?
No!
There is a possible link between migraine with aura and PFO; true or false?
True
Discuss the management of ASDs
- Refer to paediatric cardiologist for ongoing management
- If small (<5mm) & asymptomatic can watch and wait
- Surgery if larger (>1cm) and/or symptomatic:
- Transvenous catheter closure
- Open heart surgery
- Diuretics if heart failure
- Anticoagulants (aspirin, warfarin & DOACs) used to reduce risk of clots & strokes in adults
State some potential complications of ASDs
- Stroke (DVT embolising)
- Atrial fibrillation
- Atrial flutter
- Pulmonary hypertension
- ^^ and right sided heart failure
- Eisenmenger syndrome
Remind yourself of the 5 steps of formation of the interatrial septum
- Endocardial cushions develop in atrioventricular region; growing from the dorsal and ventral surfaces then fusing in the midline
- Septum primum grows downwards towards (cranial to caudal) towards fused endocardial cushions. Before it fuses it forms a hole called the ostium primum.
- A second hole then forms in the septum primum, the ostium secondum before the ostium primum closes
- Ostium primum closes
- A second septum, septum secondum, then forms to the right of the septum primum; as it forms it creates a hole called the foramen ovale