Medicine Notes Clinical Cardiology Notes
This series of notes is on clinical cardiology. These notes were made using a variety of textbooks, notes from tutorials with consultants and knowledge gained on the ward with doctors. These notes helped me a achieve a good grade of 68% in the end of year exams....
The following is a more accessible plain text extract of the PDF sample above, taken from our Clinical Cardiology Notes. Due to the challenges of extracting text from PDFs, it will have odd formatting:
Pericardial Diseases
ACUTE PERICARDITIS
Inflammation of pericardium
Idiopathic
Secondary
Viral (Coxsackie; Flu; E-B; Mumps; Varicella; HIV)
Bacteria (pneumonia; RF; staphs; streps; MAI in HIV)
Drugs (procainamide; hydralazine; penicillin; comolyn Na)
Others= Uraemia; RA; SLE; Myoedema; Trauma; Surgery; Malignancy
Clinical
Central chest pain
Worse when lying flat and on inspiration; Relieved sitting forward
?Fever
Pericardial friction rub may be heard
Look for pericardial effusion or cardiac tamponade
Tests
ECG Concave ST elevation; May be normal
Bloods FBC, ESR, U&E, Troponin (may be up); Viral serology; Cultures
X-Ray Cardiomegaly (pleural effusion)
Treatment
Analgesia (ibuprofen 400mg/8h PO)
Treat cause
Colchicine before steroids if relapse/continuing (15-40% recur)
PERICARDIAL EFFUSION
Accumulation of fluid in pericardial sac (same causes as pericarditis)
Clinical
Dyspnoea
Raised JVP
Bronchial breathing at L base
Look for cardiac tamponade signs
Diagnosis
CXR Enlarged globular heart
ECG Low voltage/alternating QRS
Echo Echo free zone around heart
Management
Treat cause
Pericardiocentesis (diagnostic or therapeutic)
CONSTRICTIVE PERICARDITIS
Heart encased in rigid pericardium
Clinical features
RHF
Raised JVP; Kussmaul's sign
Soft, diffuse apex beat
Quiet heart sounds
Diastolic pericardial knock
Hepato-splenomegaly; Ascites; Oedema
Tests
CXR; CT/MRI; Echo Small heart +/- calcification
Management
Surgical excision
CARDIAC TAMPONADE
Accumulation of fluid raises intrapericardial pressure= Poor pump function
Causes
Any pericarditis
Aortic dissection
Haemodialysis
Warfarin
Transeptal puncture at cardiac catherisation
Post cardiac biopsy
Signs
Tachy
Pulsus paradoxus
Increased JVP
Kussmaul's sign
Muffled S1 and S2
Diagnosis
Beck's triad Falling BP; Rising JVP; Muffled heart sounds
CXR Big...
Buy the full version of these notes or essay plans and more in our Clinical Cardiology Notes.
This series of notes is on clinical cardiology. These notes were made using a variety of textbooks, notes from tutorials with consultants and knowledge gained on the ward with doctors. These notes helped me a achieve a good grade of 68% in the end of year exams....
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