Heart Problems

Question 1

congenital defects are

Answer 1

present at birth

Question 2

congenital defects can come from

Answer 2

environmental influences, maternal infections, maternal drug use during second month of pregnancy

Question 3

coarctation of the aorta

Answer 3

involves a segment that is too narrow

Question 4

septal defects involve

Answer 4

holes in the interatrial or interventricular septum

Question 5

Tetralogy of fallot

Answer 5

• interventricular septal defect lets oxygen poor blood travel from right to left ventricle and into systemic circulation
• aorta emerges from both ventricles which reduces cardiopulmonary circulation
• narrowing of pulmonary valve reduces cardiopulmonary circulation
• right ventricle is enlarged

Question 6

rheumatic fever is caused by

Answer 6

a bacterial infection, such as strep throat, that triggers the immune system to produce antibodies that can damage the bicuspid and aortic valves

Question 7

cardiac tamponade occurs

Answer 7

if pericardial cavity fills with fluid and compresses the heart

Question 8

cardiomyopathy refers to

Answer 8

any disease that results in deterioration of the heart wall or abnormal thickening of the interventricular septum

Question 9

valvular insufficiency refers to

Answer 9

any valve disorder that may lead to heart murmur

Question 10

aortic stenosis results from

Answer 10

narrowing of aortic valve

Question 11

mitral valve prolapse occurs

Answer 11

when portion of mitral valve is pushed back into left atrium during ventricular systole

Question 12

a heart attack or myocardial infarction involves

Answer 12

the sudden death of heart muscle and its replacement with scar tissue because of ischemia (a reduction in blood flow)

Question 13

process of heart attack

Answer 13

-blood supply to an area of the heart wall is interrupted, plaque is deposited along wall of coronary artery, platelets aggregate and release chemicals that trigger vasospasm, common pathway of coagulation is activated, coronary artery gets occluded by a clot and blood flow decreases

Question 14

angina pectoris is

Answer 14

severe pain or tightness or pressure in the chest that accompanies ischemia of the myocardium

Question 15

pain of angina pectoris is described as

Answer 15

constricting, squeezing, or chokin or knife like

because anaerobic respiration in cardiac muscle cells produces lactic acid

Question 16

nitroglycerin is used to

Answer 16

treat angina because it is a potent vasodilator that can improve blood flow to myocardium

Question 17

congestive heart failure results from

Answer 17

the failure of ventricles to pump blood effectively

Question 18

in congestive heart failure

Answer 18

blood backs up in the lungs causing pulmonary edema or blood backs up in the systemic vessels causing peripheral edema

Question 19

the SA node establishes the

Answer 19

typical sinus rhythm of one’s heart rate

Question 20

ectopic focus is produced by

Answer 20

spontaneous generation of action potentials outside of SA node

Question 21

an arrhythmia is

Answer 21

any abnormal or irregular heartbeat due to the faulty production of electrical impulses or the poor conduction of impulses through the heart

Question 22

if the SA node becomes diseased or damaged and fails to set the sinus rhythm,

Answer 22

the AV node can take over and establish a nodal rhythm at a much slower rate

Question 23

AV node produces only

Answer 23

40 to 50 beats per minute instead of 70-80 beats per minute by the SA node

Question 24

artificial pacemaker can be implanted

Answer 24

under skin to electrically stimulate ventricles to contract

Question 25

a heart block is the

Answer 25

failure of the cardiac conduction system to transmit signals along the right and left bundle branches, which results in missed heart beats or reduced heart rate

Question 26

bradycardia is a

Answer 26

resting heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute

Question 27

atrioventricular block involves

Answer 27

prolonged or intermittent or missing conduction of nerve signals between atria and ventricles

Question 28

total heart block damages the

Answer 28

AV node and reduces ventricular contractions to between 20 and 40 bpm

Question 29

during atrial flutter

Answer 29

ectopic foci in the atria cause atrial rhythm to reach 240 to 360 beats per minute

Question 30

tachycardia is

Answer 30

a resting heart rate in excess of 100 bpm

Question 31

premature ventricular contractions can occur when

Answer 31

action potentials are initiated independent of the SA node and cause occasional abnormal heart beats

Question 32

extrasystole occurs because

Answer 32

the impulse is generated more quickly from the SA node and heart has a longer time for ventricular filling

Question 33

extrasystole can be triggered if

Answer 33

the heart is irritated by certain drugs or by lack of sleep or by stress

Question 34

ventricular fibrillation is a

Answer 34

life threatening condition caused by nerve signals arriving at different parts of the myocardium at different times

Question 35

in ventricular fibrillation blood is

Answer 35

not pumped so blood does not flow to the myocardium and an MI occurs -strong brief electric defibrillation depolarizes the entire heart so the SA node can resume its normal rhythm