Cardiovascular Physiology and Pharmacology Quiz

Chemoreceptors

• Detect changes in arterial oxygen concentration or pH levels.

ECG

• P-wave represents firing of the sino-atrial node and depolarization of the atrium.

Troponin

• Proteins found in skeletal and cardiac muscle fibres, regulate contractions.

Afterload

• The pressure against which the ventricle ejects blood from the heart.

Pulmonary interstitial fluid

• Increased fluid can manifest as bibasal crackles in the lungs.

Atrial Fibrillation

• Characterized by loss of synchrony in the electrical activity between atria and ventricles, quivering of the upper chambers at a rate of 300-600 times a minute

Left-sided heart failure

• Clinical manifestations include cyanosis, cough and peripheral oedema, orthopnoea.

Circle of Willis

• Provides collateral circulation to brain tissue if there is a blockage.

Captopril

• Found in the angiotensin converting-enzyme Inhibitor group of anti-hypertensive medication.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)

• Causes vasodilation, natriuresis and diuresis.

Myocardial Infarction complications

• Most common complication is cardiac dysrhythmia, a rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Anti-hypertensives

• Most effective drug group for lowering the risk of stroke associated with hypertension.

Heart failure diagnosis

• Echocardiogram is used to definitively diagnose heart failure.

Hypertension

• Patients with hypertension have a high risk of stroke and heart attack.

Ventricular ectopic beats

• Can develop into ventricular fibrillation.

Myocardial Infarction complications

• Most common early complication of myocardial infarction is dysrhythmias.

Alteplase (Cathflo Activase)

• Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administered to a patient with an acute MI to restore blood flow to the ischaemic myocardium.

Septic shock

• Serum lactate 4 mmol/L, SBP <90 mmHg and BP 150/78 mmHg indicate progression toward septic shock.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

• Identified by a violet crystalline stain in synovial fluid culture.

Bacterial seeding

• Can lead to dilation of synovial vessels causing synovial tissue becoming oedematous.

Compensatory response for decreased cardiac output

• Vasoconstriction and fluid retention.

Progression of Atrial Fibrillation

• Structural and neurohormonal changes in heart failure (reduced/preserved EF) are a likely cause for progression of Atrial Fibrillation.

Heart remodelling

• The Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) directly contributes to the remodelling of the heart leading to arrhythmias.

Atrial Fibrillation and heart failure

• Impaired LV filling decreasing cardiac output by 25%, irregular and/or rapid ventricular conduction leads to LV dysfunction, tachycardia-induced myopathy. All contribute to heart failure.

Oxygen administration for acute HF

• Oxygen should be administered if oxygen saturation is below 95%.

Diagnosis of heart failure

• B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) is useful for the diagnosis of heart failure.

Long-term management of Chronic Heart Failure

• Captopril & Bisoprolol reduce the risk of HF development, hospitalisation and death, improve survival, are recommended for treatment of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction.

Stroke diagnosis acronym

• FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time).

Stroke diagnosis testing

• Cerebral angiography, cerebral CT, PET scan, MRI are used to clinically diagnose a stroke.

Brain imaging for embolic stroke

• To determine if there is cerebral ischaemia or intracranial haemorrhage.

Right-brain stroke indication

• Speech language deficit is not an indication that the Right-brain has been damaged from a stroke.

Left-brain stroke indication

• Paralysed on the right-hand side is an indication that the Left-brain has been damaged from a stroke.

Ischaemia

• Severe ischaemia for cerebral tissue is indicated by less than 20% blood flow.