Cardiac

Perfusion

The delivery of oxygenated blood to the tissues.

Signs of decreased perfusion

Chest pain, altered mental status, hypotension, tachycardia, cool, pale or clammy skin, weak peripheral pulses, delayed capillary refill, decreased urine output, fatigue or activity intolerance, dizziness or syncope.

Cardiac output formula

Cardiac output = heart rate × stroke volume.

S3 Heart Sound

Commonly associated with volume overload and heart failure.

S4 Heart Sound

Associated with a stiff or noncompliant ventricle.

Atherosclerosis

Abnormal accumulation of lipids and fibrous tissue inside an arterial wall and lumen.

Stable angina

Predictable chest pain, usually caused by exertion, relieved by rest.

Unstable angina

New, increasingly frequent chest pain, occurring at rest, considered acute coronary syndrome.

NSTEMI

Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction where myocardial necrosis occurs and troponin is elevated.

STEMI

ST elevation myocardial infarction caused by complete coronary occlusion with elevated troponin.

Troponin rise after chest pain

Begins to rise approximately 2–3 hours after chest-pain onset.

BNP greater than 100

May indicate heart failure.

Myocardial infarction complication

More than 50% of deaths from MI occur within the first 72 hours.

Pericarditis symptoms

Sharp, stabbing chest pain, worsens with deep inspiration and lying flat, improves when sitting up.

Beck's triad

Hypotension, JVD, muffled heart sounds, indicative of cardiac tamponade.

Mitral valve regurgitation

Blood flows backward from the left ventricle into the left atrium during systole.

Mechanical valve

Durable but typically requires lifelong anticoagulation.

Cardiac diagnostics

ECG is vital for identifying ischemia, injury, and dysrhythmias.

Valve stenosis

The valve does not open completely, obstructing blood flow.

Dysrhythmias complications

Major early complications of MI; requires continuous rhythm monitoring.

Cardiogenic shock findings

Hypotension, tachycardia, weak pulses, cool, pale skin, altered mental status.

Aortic stenosis symptoms

Classic symptoms include syncope, angina, dyspnea.

Pericardiocentesis purpose

To relieve cardiac tamponade or improve cardiac output.