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Category: CARDIOLOGY

Anti-Lipids

STATINS Effectiveness Administration Timing Factors to Consider When Selecting a Statin Avoid drug interactions Statin Metabolised by Statin concentration may be increased by Statin concentration…

Approach to palpitations

Not all palpitations are due to arrhythmia Investigations usually occur between episodes due to palpitations’ transient nature. Diagnosis begins with patient history, physical examination, and…

Aspirin for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

NOTE: Diabetes mellitus is associated with a substantially increased CVD risk, meaning patients are generally excluded from primary prevention trials. In Australia  (https://www.racgp.org.au/clinical-resources/clinical-guidelines/key-racgp-guidelines/view-all-racgp-guidelines/national-guide/chapter-11-cardiovascular-disease-prevention) In USA…

Atrial Fibrillation

Intro Risk factors, disease associations and potentially reversible precipitants for atrial fibrillation Risk factors and disease associations Potentially reversible precipitants ObesityHypertensionType 2 diabetes/impaired glucose toleranceSmokingObstructive…

Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Structural changes Processes responsible for clinical manifestations of HCM: Clinical features Apical HCM Narrow, “dagger-like” Q waves in inferior and lateral leads…

Cardiovascular Risk Classification

Conducting a comprehensive risk assessment Absolute cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment  Risk category  Estimated 5‑year CVD riska Management  Reassessment interval  High  ≥10% Encourage, support and advise a…

Familial hypercholesterolaemia 

  Summary of inherited lipid disorders Type Heterozygous (Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia)  Lipoprotein(a)   Familial combined hyperlipidaemia Familial hypertri-glyceridaemia Type III familial dysbetalipo-proteinaemia Familial chylomicronaemia syndrome…

Heart Block

Delayed conduction of electrical current as it passes through the conducting system May occur at any level in the conducting system (AV node, Bundle of…

Heart Failure

Symptoms and signs of heart failure More typical symptoms More specific signs Dyspnoea (usually with exertion)OrthopnoeaParoxysmal nocturnal dyspnoeaFatigue Elevated jugular venous pressureHepatojugular refluxThird heart soundLaterally…

Heart Failure – acute (APO)

Causes of acute decompensation of chronic heart failure Acute myocardial ischaemia or infarctionHypoxia (e.g., pneumonia, pulmonary embolism)Arrhythmia (e.g., atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia/ectopy)Noncompliance with medications, fluid…

Heart Failure – MEDICATIONS

Medications indicated Drugs used in heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction  Drug  Indications  Mechanism Adverse effects  Precautions ACE inhibitors  First-line therapy when LVEF…

Hypercholesterolemia

There are five major classes of lipoprotein Chylomicrons Triglyceride rich Atherogenic VLDL – Very low density lipoprotein IDL – Intermediate density lipoprotein LDL – Low…

Hypertension

Risk Factors Causes/History In history identify Category Systolic Diastolic Grade 1 140-159 90-99 Grade 2 160-179 100-109 Grade 3 >180 >110 Isolated systolic >140 <90…

Infective Endocarditis

Disease Characteristic: Inflammation of the endocardium, typically affecting heart valves Causes and Organisms Risk Factors Pathophysiology Diagnosis History Signs Clinical Features Embolic Manifestations Cutaneous Findings…

Metabolic syndrome

Waist circumference thresholds for abdominal obesity   Recommended threshold in waist circumference for abdominal obesity (high risk) Population Men Women European/North American ≥102 cm ≥88…

Palpitations

Aetiology Palpitations: Associated Symptoms and Causes Cardiac:Arrhythmias Cardiac: Nonarrhythmic cardiac causes  Serious Indicators: Symptom Characteristics: Orthostatic Intolerance: Psychiatric causes Drugs and medications Extracardiac causes History…

Pericarditis

Causes: Common Causes of pericarditis and pericardial effusions  Cause Prevalence Investigation Idiopathic Most common Diagnosis of exclusion Viral Most common cause of infectious pericardial diseaseAdenovirusCoxsackievirus…

Pre-excitation syndromes

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome ECG features of WPW in sinus rhythm Tachyarrhythmias associated with WPW syndrome Atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) WPW with AF – FBI =…

Rhematic Fever

Pathophysiology: High-Risk Groups for Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD): High-Risk Groups for Rheumatic Fever: Reasons for Increased Risk of Rheumatic Fever:…

Torsades de pointes (TdP)

Risk factors Causes of prolonged QT Antipsychotics Antiarrhythmics Tricyclics Other antidepressants Antihistamines Others Chlorpromazine Quinidine Amitriptyline Citalopram Diphenhydramine Erythromycin Haloperidol Procainamide Doxepin Escitalopram Loratadine Clarithromycin…

Warfarin

Contraindications to warfarin therapy Factors that influence the INR Advice on Managing Bleeding Risk Specific Situations