Internal Medicine Flashcards
(190 cards)
What is ACS?
Acute Coronary Syndrome, a spectrum of clinical presentations including Stable Angina, Unstable Angina, NSTEMI, STEMI and Sudden Cardiac Death
What is the primary cause of ACS?
Atherosclerosis - most cases occur from the disruption of a previously non-severe lesion.
What is angina?
The result of myocardial ischaemia caused by an imbalance between myocardial O2 supply and demand resulting from a narrowing or spasm of the coronary arteries.
Describe the pathophysiology of angina.
Decreased blood supply –> decreased O2 –> switch from aerobic to anaerobic respiration –> ischaemia -> ATP degraded to adenosine. Adenosine diffuses to extracellular space causing arteriolar dilation and anginal pain.
What are the types of angina?
Stable angina
Prinzmetal’s Angina
Angina Decubitus
Unstable Angina
What are the hallmarks of stable angina?
It is brought on by exertion and relieved by rest.
What is Prinzmetal’s angina?
Angina symptoms commonly occurring at rest caused by vasospasm of the coronary arteries. Can be associated with ST elevation.
What is angina decubitus?
A variant of angina that occurs at night when the patient is recumbant.
What is Unstable angina?
ACS in the absence of biochemical evidence of myocardial damage. Characterised by:
- Prolonged >20 mins
- Not relieved by GTN
- Onset at rest
- Angina post recent MI
What are the precipitants of Angina?
Exercise, mental and emotional stress, sexual activity, tachycardia, increased metabolic demands (fever, thyrotoxicosis, hypoglycaemia).
What are some causes of angina?
Coronary atherosclerosis
Coronary artery spasm
Coronary syndrome X (Microvascular angina - angina in the presence of normal coronary arteries)
Systemic collagen vascular disease: Scleroderma, SLE
Inflammatory vascular diseases: Kawasaki, Polyarteritis nodosa, Takayasu arteritis
Describe the symptoms of Angina
Chest pain, discomfort, radiating to the neck, jaw, arms, back. Pain is often preceded by exertion or stress. Typically relieved by rest or GTN. May be SOB, Levine sign - Placing fist on centre of chest.
What are the clinical features of angina?
Tachycardia. ECG: may be normal, but may show ST segment depression or inverted T waves.
What investigations should be done for Angina?
ECG
Troponin, Lipids, HbA1c, Hb
Stress test, coronary angiogram
How to diagnose Angina?
Clinically, ECG and trop to rule out AMI
How to treat angina?
Risk factor modification
Statins, BP management, Antiplatelet and anticoagulation, nitrates
revascularisation.
Define AMI
Irreversible myocardial cell death secondary to prolonged ischaemia
In an AMI, what vessels are normally occluded?
LAD 40-50%, RCA 30-40%, LCx 15-20%.
Describe the pathophysiology of AMI and how the resulting acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and arrhythmias occur.
AMI: Disruption of cholesterol-laden plaque, exposure of pro-thrombotic substances that promote rapid platelet aggregation, thrombin generation and thrombus formation causing an interruption to blood flow. Or embolus.
HF: If significant amount of myocardium is damaged, LV pump functions is depressed: CO, SV and BP are reduced and systolic volume is increased. Results in acute HF and cardiogenic shock.
Arrhythmia: Ischaemia disrupts the normal biochemistry and depolarisation of the cell. VF and VT can occur.
Define NSTEMI
Myocardial infarction that does not show diagnostic ECG changes but does have a troponin rise
What can be found on ECG for NSTEMI?
ST depression, T wave inversion, arrhythmias and other non-diagnostic ischaemic changes.
What is the pathophysiology for an NSTEMI?
It’s a subendocardial infarct. Iner 1/3 of myocardium is permanently damaged, not transmural. The inner 1/3 is subject to higher pressure and the last part to receive perfusion, so often the first part that is damaged.
What are the characteristic ECG changes for a STEMI?
ST elevation over 1mm in chest leads, over 2 in limb leads in at least 2 contiguous leads.
Reciprocal depression
Arrhythmias
(It’s a transmural infarct)
What are ten risk factors for AMI?
HTN
DM
Dyslipidaemia
Obesity
Chronic renal insufficiency
Smoking
Male
Female post-menopause
Age
Metabolic syndrome
CAD
FHx AMI under 50
Cocaine use