Aneurysms are commonly a result of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. Hypertension is a frequent modifiable contributor to aneurysms. Individuals with an aneurysm are normally asymptomatic until the aneurysm ruptures. Aneurysms can normally be resolved with lifestyle and diet modifications. |
A 70-year-old woman who is complaining of shortness of breath and vague chest discomfort A 66-year-old man who has presented with fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and cool, moist skin A 43-year-old man who woke up with substernal pain that is radiating to his neck and jaw A 71-year-old man who has moist skin, fever, and chest pain that is excruciating when he moves but relieved when at rest |
“Remember, the ‘H’ in HDL and the ‘L’ in LDL correspond to high danger and low danger to your health.” “Having high cholesterol increases your risk of developing diabetes and irregular heart rate.” “Smoking and being overweight increases your risk of primary hypercholesterolemia.” “Your family history of hypercholesterolemia is important, but there are things you can do to compensate for a high inherited risk.” |
Echocardiogram, PET scan, ECG Ambulatory ECG, cardiac MRI, echocardiogram Serum creatinine levels, chest auscultation, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy Cardiac catheterization, cardiac CT, exercise stress testing |
The patient’s juxtaglomerular cells are releasing aldosterone as a result of sympathetic stimulation. Epinephrine from his adrenal gland is initiating the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Vasopressin is exerting an effect on his chemoreceptors and baroreceptors, resulting in vasoconstriction. The conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II in his lungs causes increases in blood pressure and sodium reabsorption. |
The child is experiencing a reentry rhythm in his right atrium. The resolution of the problem is dependent on spontaneous recovery and is resistant to pacing interventions. The child is likely to have a normal ECG apart from the rapid heart rate. The boy’s atria are experiencing abnormal sympathetic stimulation. |
Mitral valve regurgitation Aortic valve stenosis Mitral valve stenosis Aortic valve regurgitation |
The man’s blood work indicates polycythemia (elevated red cells levels) and leukocytosis (elevated white cells). The man’s blood pressure is 178/102 and he has abnormal liver function tests. The man is acutely short of breath and his oxygen saturation is 87%. The man’s temperature is 101.9°F and he is diaphoretic (heavily sweating). |
Pheochromocytoma Essential hypertension Coarctation of the aorta An adrenocortical disorder |
An increase in preload via the Frank-Starling mechanism Sympathetic stimulation and increased serum levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine Activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAA) system and secretion of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) AV node pacemaking activity and vagal nerve suppression |
Acute arterial occlusion that will be treated with angioplasty Raynaud disease that will require antiplatelet medications Atherosclerotic occlusive disease necessitating thrombolytic therapy Giant cell temporal arteritis that will be treated with corticosteroids |
Impaired physical restraint of the left ventricule Increased friction during the contraction/relaxation cycle Reduced protection from infectious organisms Impaired regulation of myocardial contraction |
“Your blood pressure varies widely between arteries and veins, and between pulmonary and systemic circulation.” “Only around one quarter of your blood is in your heart at any given time.” “Blood pressure and blood volume roughly mimic one another at any given location in the circulatory system.” “Left-sided and right-sided pumping action at each beat of the heart must equal each other to ensure adequate blood distribution.” |
Hypovolemic shock Septic shock Neurogenic shock Obstructive shock |
Resolution of compensatory pulmonary edema and heart arrhythmias Infusion of vasodilators to foster perfusion and inotropes to improve heart contractility Infusion of normal saline of Ringer lactate to maintain the vascular space Administration of oxygen and epinephrine to promote perfusion |
Hyperlipidemia is a consequence of diet and lifestyle rather than genetics. HDL cholesterol is often characterized as being beneficial to health. Cholesterol is a metabolic waste product that the liver is responsible for clearing. The goal of medical treatment is to eliminate cholesterol from the vascular system. |
Increased preload due to vascular resistance High afterload because of backpressure against the left ventricle Impaired contractility due to aortic resistance Systolic impairment because of arterial stenosis |
A Holter monitor is preferable to standard ECG due to its increased sensitivity to cardiac electrical activity. The primary goal is to allow the cardiologist to accurately diagnose cardiomyopathies. Accurate interpretation of the results requires correlating the findings with the activity that the woman was doing at the time of recording. Holter monitors are normally set to record electrical activity of the heart at least once per hour. |
Pressure in the pulmonary circulation and the right side of the infant’s heart fall markedly. Alveolar oxygen tension increases, causing reversal of pulmonary vasoconstriction of the fetal arteries. Systemic vascular resistance and left ventricular pressure are both increasing. Pulmonary vascular resistance, related to muscle regression in the pulmonary arteries, rises over the course of the infant’s first week. |
Signal-averaged ECG Exercise stress testing Electrophysiologic study Holter monitoring |
Increased cardiac demand causes engorgement of systemic blood vessels, of which the jugular vein is one of the largest. Blood backs up into the jugular vein because there are no valves at the point of entry into the heart. Peripheral dilation is associated with decreased stroke volume and ejection fraction. Heart valves are not capable of preventing backflow in cases of atrial congestion. |
Sick sinus syndrome as a result of a disease of his sinus node and atrial or junctional arrhythmias Ventricular arrhythmia as a result of alternating vagal and sympathetic stimulation Torsades de pointes as a result of disease of the bundle of His Premature atrial contractions that vacillate between tachycardic and bradycardic episodes as a consequence of an infectious process |
A 61-year-old man who has a heart valve infection and recurrent fever An 81-year-old woman who has had an ischemic stroke and has consequent one-sided weakness A 44-year-old man awaiting a kidney transplant who requires hemodialysis three times per week A 66-year-old woman with poorly controlled angina and consequent limited activity tolerance |
A 61-year-old man whose ECG was characterized by widespread T wave inversions on admission but whose T waves have recently normalized A 77-year-old with diminished S3 and S4 sounds, an irregular heart rate, and a history of atrial fibrillation A 56-year-old obese man who is complaining of chest pain that is exacerbated by deep inspiration and is radiating to his neck and scapular ridge A 60-year-old woman whose admission blood work indicates elevated white cells, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels |
His resting blood pressure is normally in the range of 150/90 and an echocardiogram indicates his ejection fraction is 30%. His end-diastolic volume is higher than normal and his resting heart rate is regular and 82 beats per minute. He is presently volume overloaded following several days of intravenous fluid replacement. Ventricular dilation and wall tension are significantly lower than normal. |
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