Medical Conditions/Patho of Flashcards
(198 cards)
What is angina? How does it present?
- angina is chest discomfort due to myocardial ischemia (heart is not getting enough oxygen) - increase in demand, decrease in supply
- pain occurs due to build up of CO2 and lactic acid
- often it displays as a squeezing/heavy sensation, it may radiate, deep breathing may increase the pain
- often resolved by decreasing the demand or increasing oxygen levels
- can lead to infarct if not corrected
Stable angina
- typical and predictable
- often due to increase in workload to the heart
- will come with heavy/squeezing sensation but is typically not long lasting (uncommon to last beyond 30 minutes)
Patho of Angina
- due to coronary artery obstruction leading to a difference between the oxygen supply and demand
- the demand for oxygen goes up, but the heart can not keep up leading to pain (therefore, need to provide heart with more oxygen or get it to rest)
- commonly due to CAD (build up of plaque)
Unstable angina
- could be sign of pre-infarct
- often symptoms come at rest, can not be relieved with meds/oxygen, and are more severe than typical angina (often lasts more than 20mins)
- from blood flow to the heart being slowed by narrowed vessels or small clots that formed in coronary arteries
Variant angina
“transient” or “prinzmetal”
- due to spasm of coronary artery often while sleeping
- often not long lasting but can lead to MI/lethal arrhythmias
- common in type A personalities, people who smoke, females
Takotusbo Cardiomyopathy
- sudden onset of chest pain which mimics an MI
- due to emotional stress and release of stress hormones
- also known as broken heart syndrome
Brugada syndrome
- sudden death during sleep from lethal arrythmias
- from sodium gene mutation causing ventricles to beat irregularly, leading to blood circulation being improper
Myocardial Infarction
- prolonged ischemia
- presents with angina like pain (pressure, squeezing), pain may radiate, may have N/V,
- rest/meds will not help
- some people (especially women) may present as unwell or N/V only - no chest pain
Patho of Myocardial Ischemia
- tissues become damaged due to lack of oxygen, often due to plaque build up
- injured tissue will have a fibrin mesh/clot form - the tissue is injured from lack of oxygen/blood flow
- injured tissue cells will die if ischemia is not reversed (infarct is when they die)
- MI occurs when ischemia has lasted long enough to cause cell death due to cut off blood supply - pain is due to CO2 and lactic acid build up
What are acute MI’s caused by?
usually from a thrombus formation, or can be from hypovolemia (global ischemia)
What is one way in hospital that MI’s are detected?
troponin release
- troponin is a regulatory protein found in the heart/skeletal muscle that is released when injury has occurred to the myocardium
- higher levels lead to a greater chance the patient has had an MI
What needs to happen if patient is having an MI?
blocked vessels need to be reopened, often through use of stents, fibrinolytic, angioplasty
How do fibrinolytics work?
they work by activating plasminogen which forms plasmin
- plasmin breaks down fibrin (which is found in clots)
What is an angioplasty? A stent?
A - unblocking a vessel through the use of a balloon which will push the plaque outwards against the artery wall
S - an insertion of a tube (metal or plastic) into artery to open and keep the artery open
What is the aftermath of the heart in the case of an MI?
- the necrotic tissue is replaced by scar tissue over the few weeks after an MI
- the scar tissue is a poor conductor, can nor contract and decreases the hearts effectiveness - potential for arrhythmias
The two forms of treatment for chest pain are nitro and ASA. How does nitro work?
- nitric acid is used for relaxation of smooth muscle. nitro will be converted to this in the blood
- it will help to relax smooth muscle and vasodilate which will help lessen chest pain
- decreases your preload (pressure at the beginning of systole)
How does ASA work in terms of chest pain?
“COX blocker” or Thromboxane A2 inhibitor
- inhibits cyclooxygenase which is needed to make thromboxane A2 (which promotes platelet aggregation and vasoconstriction)
- reduces platelet aggregation which will stop a clot from progressing
What is an aneurysm?
- an aneurysm is when part of an artery wall weakens causing it to balloon out/widen abnormally
- can be caused from high blood pressure on arterial walls, atherosclerotic disease, infectious disease (syphilis), genetic disorders, trauma
Two classifications of aneurysms?
- saccular (sac-like)
- fusiform (tube-like)
Abdominal aneurysm - what is it?
- often not known until leaking/rupture occurs (when symptoms start)
- usually begin as small tear in intima allowing blood to leak in aorta and the tear will eventually continue outwards causing bleeding to continue into other areas of the body
Signs of an abdominal aneurysm:
- mass seen in stomach region (may be pulsing)
- pain goes from abdomen to back (excruciating)
- might become hypotensive, syncopal
- could be bradycardic (vagus nerve stimulation due to being around the aorta)
- might have rigidity to abdomen
- femoral pulse may be absent
Thoracic aneurysm - signs?
- can cause severe pain beginning in the back spreading to abdomen
- may have difficulty swallowing, cough, wheezing, unequal pressures in the arms
Dissecting aneurysm - what is it?
- aneurysm will start as tearing allowing blood to start to move through the layers of the wall due to increased pressure
- as more blood moves, it will eventually rupture the outer wall leading to mass hemorrhage into the thoracic/pleural cavities
- hypertension is a common factor contributing to an aneurysm dissecting
Signs of a dissecting aneurysm:
- excruciating pain described often as a ripping sensation (can be in back/abdomen/epigastric region/extremities)
- they will be sweaty/pale
- may have pulse deficits, BP may become unattainable
- person may be syncopal
- may have signs of blood pooling
- may be altered mental status (blood not getting to brain)