Test Your Knowledge on Cardiovascular and Peripheral Vascular Disorders with thi...

Exploring Symptoms and Measurement Techniques in Cardiovascular and Peripheral Vascular Disorders

• Leg pain or cramping during exertion may be caused by insufficient arterial supply to the legs due to atherosclerosis.
• Edema, varicose veins, and aching in the legs are symptoms of venous stasis.
• JVP measurement involves placing a vertical and horizontal ruler to assess the height of distention in centimeters and adding 5 cm to determine JVP.
• Cardiac syncope is usually characterized by syncope during exertion, absence of prodrome, and may be preceded by palpitation, chest pain, or shortness of breath.
• Palpitations may be determined by assessing the patient's ability to feel them, extent of heart rate increase, onset, duration, frequency, exacerbation, relief, and association with other symptoms or drugs.
• Edema is typically bilaterally symmetrical, gradually developed, relieved with diuretics, exacerbated with increased fluid intake, and associated with SOB, crackles on auscultation, and jugular venous distension.
• Dyspnea may have a gradual or sudden onset, varying duration, specific timing, level of activity that causes it, exacerbation with exertion, and relief with rest.
• Chest pain may have a crushing, pressure, or heaviness sensation, central or left-sided location, duration of 2 to 10 minutes (angina pectoris) or more than 30 minutes (AMI), exacerbation with exertion, and relief with rest or nitroglycerine.
• Atypical symptoms of acute coronary syndrome may include discomfort, fidgetiness, SOB, epigastric pain, jaw pain, palpitations, and fatigue.
• Common presenting complaints in cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disorders include chest pain/discomfort, dyspnea or shortness of breath, pedal edema, palpitations, syncope, pain in the arms or legs, intermittent claudication, coldness, numbness, or pallor in the legs, hair loss, swelling in the calves, legs, or feet, and swelling with redness or tenderness.
• Jugular venous pressure is a true representation of right atrial pressure or right-side of heart, and conditions that raise or reduce right-sided cardiac pressure can elevate or lower the JVP, respectively.
• In hypovolemic patients, JVP may be low, causing the head of the bed to be lowered, while in volume-overloaded or hypervolemic patients, JVP may be high, causing the head of the bed to be raised.
• A JVP of more than 3 cm above the sternal angle is considered raised, and 8 cm or more is considered elevated.