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56 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the various diseases that fall under the umbrella of heart disease?
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1. Diseases of blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease
2.Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias) 3. Heart defects (congenital heart defects) 4. Infections and conditions that affect heart's muscle |
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Heart disease is often used interchangeably with "cardiovascular disease", refers to?
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Conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain, or stroke
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What is the #1 worldwide killer of men and women?
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Heart Diseases
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What is Chest Pain?
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Chest pain is an alarming symptom. It is often used to describe any pain, pressure, squeezing, choking, numbness or any discomfort in the chest, neck or upper abdomen, and is often associated with pain in the jaw, head or arms
It can last from less than a second to days or weeks. It can occur frequently or rarely, and can occur sporadically or predictably |
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How should chest pain be evaluated, if the chest pain is acute in onset?
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1) Taking a directed medical history
2) Performing a physical examination 3) Getting an ECG and cardiac enzymes |
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Why is diagnosing rapidly a heart attack important?
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1) Because immediate treatment can significantly limit the heart damage that occurs & can prolong overall survival
2) Almost as important is the diagnosis of unstable angina, since rapid and aggressive treatment of this condition is also necessary to prolong survival. ( give streptokinase) |
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How should chest pain be evaluated if it is more chronic, recurrent, or non-acute problem?
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Angina due to coronary artery disease is the chief concern. The importance of diagnosing angina is not to relieve the pain, but instead to deal with the long term implications of angina.
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When something else than routine coronary artery disease is causing chest pain, the patient might need?
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1. X-rays
2. Endoscopy of GI-tract 3. Pulmonary function tests |
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When is chest pain an emergency?
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1. Any age and have a very strong family history of early heart disease
2. The pain can best be described by the terms: tightness, squeezing, heaviness or crushing 3. The pain radiates to the shoulders, arms, or jaw 4. The pain is accompanied by the uncontrollable feeling that something is horribly wrong 5. The pain gets continually worse over the first 15 or 20 minutes |
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When is chest pain relatively unlikely to represent a dangerous cardiac disorder?
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1. The pain changes with changes in body positions
2. The pain is momentary or fleeting 3. The patient had similar pains in the past, and a cardiac disorder was ruled out. |
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What is palpitation?
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1. An unusual awareness of the heart beat
2. Most people who complain of palpitations describe them either as "skips" in the heart beat or as periods of rapid and/or irregular heart beats |
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What are the most common causes of palpitation?
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1. Premature atrial complexes (PAC)
2. Premature ventricular complexes (PVC) 3. Episodes of atrial fibrillation 4. Episodes of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) 5. Ventricular tachycardia |
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Why palpitations should be evaluated?
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1. To find out whether the palpitations are caused by a heart rhythm disturbance
2. To identify the particular arrhythmia that is causing the palpitation |
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What can cause episodes of light headedness or dizziness?
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vasovagal episodes, heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias
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What is syncope? (loss of consciousness)
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Syncope is a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness or falling.
There are many causes of syncope, however only cardiac syncope commonly leads to sudden death |
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What is fatigue or lethargy?
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Inability to continue functioning at one's normal level
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What is somnolence?
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In addition that either craves sleep - or worst finds oneself suddenly asleep, a condition known as narcolepsy.
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What is paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea?
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Suddenly wake up at night gasping for air
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What are the numerous lung conditions that can produce shortness of breath?
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Asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia or pleural effusion
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What is oedema?
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A swelling of the tissues, usually occurring in the legs, but occasionally in the abdomen, and rarely in the arms
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Why is oedema can common symptom seen with heart failure?
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Heart failure leads to sodium retention, which causes an accumulation of fluid in the body
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What are other causes of oedema?
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1. Kidney disease
2. Liver disease 3. Severe lung disease 4. Vascular disease |
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The doctor checks the pulse in order to check what?
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1. Heart rate
2. Rhythm 3. Regularity |
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What is "lub dub" sound?
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The opening and closing of the heart valves known as the heart sound
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What is the importance of auscultation?
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1. To evaluate the heart and valve function
2. To hear the heart rate and rhythm by listening to the heart sounds |
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What is blood pressure?
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It is the force or pressure exerted in the arteries by the blood as it is pumped around the body by the heart
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Explain systolic blood pressure
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Pressure in the arteries during the period of the heart's contraction (the higher number)
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Explain diastolic blood pressure
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Pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed, between heart beats (the lower number)
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What is a normal blood pressure?
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It is < or = to 120 over 80
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Blood pressure may increase or decrease depending on:
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1. age
2. heart condition 3. emotions 4. activity 5. medication taken |
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What is an EKG or ECG?
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An electrocardiogram is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart through small electrodes patches attached to the skin of the chest, arms and legs.
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What are ECGs used for? (values)
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1. Assess the heart rhythm
2. Diagnose poor blood flow to the heart muscle 3. Diagnose a myocardial infarction 4. Evaluate certain abnormalities of the heart |
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What is a holter monitor?
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A portable ECG that monitors the electrical activity of a freely moving person's heart generally for 1 to 2 days, 24 hours a day. It is often used when the doctor suspects an abnormal heart rhythm or ischemia.
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What is an event monitor?
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If the symptoms are infrequent, the patient will use a device where he pushes a button that records and stores the heart's electrical activity for a few minutes.
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What does a chest x-ray show?
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It shows the cardiac size, any dilated vessels and lung condition
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What is a stress test?
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It looks for how does a heart respond well to exertion. It determines the amount of stress that the heart can manage before developing either an abnormal rhythm or evidence of ischemia
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What is an exercise stress test?
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It usually involves walking on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike at increasing levels of difficulty, while the electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate and blood pressure are monitored.
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Why are stress tests used? (indications)
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1. Determine if there is adequate blood flow to the heart during increasing levels of activity
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of heart medication to control angina and ischemia 3. Determine the likelihood of having coronary heart disease and the need for further evaluation 4. Identify abnormal heart rhythms |
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What is an echocardiogram and what is its purpose?
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An echocardiogram is a test that uses ultrasound to evaluate the heart muscle, heart valves, and risk for heart disease.
Purpose: 1. To assess the overall function of the heart 2. To determine the presence of many types of heart disease 3. To follow the progress of heart valve disease over time 4. To evaluate the effectiveness of medical or surgical treatments |
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Purpose of echocardiogram combined with Doppler ultrasound
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It shows the flow (in colour) of blood through the heart's chambers and the coronary arteries.
It is one of the methods used to measure LVEF |
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What is Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF)?
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It is the % of blood a full left ventricle pumps into the aorta with each cardiac cycle.
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What are the indirect methods to calculate to LVEF?
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1. Echocardiogram with Doppler ultrasound
2. Radionuclide scans 3. MRI |
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What is the importance of LVEF?
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1. Provides an assessment of cardiovascular limitations resulting from damage to the heart such as myocardial infarction or heart failure
2. LVEF is one method to monitor the progression of heart failure |
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What is a normal LVEF?
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Normal LVEF is 55%; LVEF below 35% indicates severe heart failure
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What diagnostic test is used to view the posterior structures of the heart?
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TransEsophageal Echocardiography (TEE)
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What is cardiac catheterization (cardiac cath, coronary angiogram)?
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It is an invasive imaging procedure that allows the doctor to see how well the heart is functioning.
During the test, a long, narrow tube called a catheter, is inserted into a blood vessel in the arm or leg guided to the heart with the help of a special x-ray machine. Contrast dye is injected through the catheter so that x-ray videos of the valves, coronary arteries, and heart chambers can be created. |
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What is the purpose of cardiac catheterization?
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1. Evaluate or confirm the presence of heart disease
2. Evaluate heart muscle function 3. Determine the need for further treatment (main goal) |
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What is an electrophysiology test (EP test)?
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It is a test that records the electrical activity and the electrical pathways of the heart.
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What is the purpose of the EP test?
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1. To determine the cause of an abnormal heart rhythm
2. To locate the site of origin of an abnormal heart rhythm 3. To decide the best treatment for an abnormal heart rhythm |
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What is a CT Heart Scan?
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It is a heart imaging test that uses CT technology with or without IV contrast (dye) to visualize the heart anatomy, coronary circulation and great vessels.
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What is a myocardial biopsy?
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It is an invasive procedure to detect heart disease that involves using a small catheter with a grasping device on the end to obtain a small piece of heart muscle tissue that is sent to a laboratory for analysis.
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What is the purpose of myocardial biopsy?
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1. Evaluate or confirm the presence of rejection after heart transplant
2. Diagnose myocarditis or certain other cardiac disorders |
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What is a heart MRI?
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It uses large magnets and radio-frequency waves to produce pictures of the body's internal structures. This technique obtains information about the heart as it is beating, creating images of the heart throughout its pumping cycle.
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What is the purpose of a heart MRI?
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1. To evaluate the anatomy and function of the structures of the chest, including heart, lungs, major vessels and pericardium
2. To determine the presence of the diseases such as coronary artery disease, pericardial disease, cardiac tumors, heart valve diseases and congenital heart disease. |
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What is pericardiocentesis (pericardial tap)?
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It uses a needle and a catheter to get a sample of fluid from the pericardium.
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What is orthopnea?
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Patients with heart failure commonly experience shortness of breath when exertion or when lying flat on their backs.
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