Inflammatory and Valvular Heart Diseases

Vocabulary practice flashcards based on the lecture covering inflammatory heart conditions, endocarditis, pericarditis, rheumatic fever, valvular disorders, and cardiomyopathies.

Infective Endocarditis

An infection of the inner layer of the heart (endocardium) that usually affects the cardiac valves or prosthetic cardiac devices.

Vegetations

Lesions composed of fibrin, leukocytes, platelets, and microbes that adhere to the endocardium or heart valves.

Acute Infective Endocarditis

A rapidly progressing endocarditis occurring on normal heart valves, characterized by a severe systemic infection that causes severe valvular destruction.

Subacute Infective Endocarditis

A form of endocarditis with an insidious onset over weeks or months, typically affecting previously damaged valves and commonly caused by streptococci.

Splinter Hemorrhages

A vascular manifestation of infective endocarditis presenting as black longitudinal streaks in the nail beds.

Janeway's Lesions

Painless, flat, red spots located on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet in patients with infective endocarditis.

Osler's Nodes

Painful, erythematous nodules located on the fingers or toes associated with infective endocarditis.

Petechiae

Hemorrhagic spots on the conjunctivae, lips, or palate resulting from the fragmentation and microembolization of vegetative lesions.

Acute Pericarditis

Inflammation of the pericardial sac surrounding the heart, presenting with dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, and a pericardial friction rub.

Pericardial Effusion

An accumulation of excess fluid in the pericardial space, increasing from a normal volume of $30\text{ to }50\text{ mL}$ up to $100\text{ to }300\text{ mL}$.

Cardiac Tamponade

A life-threatening complication of acute pericarditis where fluid accumulation in the pericardial sac exerts extreme pressure on the heart, impeding normal pumping and circulation.

Pericardiocentesis

A therapeutic surgical aspiration of fluid from the pericardial cavity performed under sterile conditions with ECG and hemodynamic monitoring.

Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis

A condition resulting from recurrent pericardial inflammation leading to scarring and loss of elasticity of the pericardial sac, restricting cardiac contraction.

Rheumatic Fever

An inflammatory disease affecting the heart, brain, joints, and skin that develops as an abnormal immune reaction $2\text{ to }3\text{ weeks}$ after Group A streptococcal pharyngitis.

Aschoff's Bodies

Nodular granulomatous lesions containing spindle-shaped collagen fibers found specifically in the myocardium during rheumatic heart disease.

Modified Jones Criteria

Diagnostic framework for acute rheumatic fever requiring either 2 major criteria OR 1 major and 2 minor criteria, along with documented prior Group A streptococcal infection.

Valvular Stenosis

A functional condition in which the valve orifice is constricted, obstructing forward blood flow and creating a pressure gradient across the open valve.

Valvular Regurgitation

Incomplete closure of the heart valve leaflets leading to the backward leakage of blood.

Mechanical Prosthetic Valve

A durable, long-lasting synthetic valve replacement that requires life-long anticoagulant administration to prevent thromboembolism.

Biological Prosthetic Valve

A tissue-based artificial heart valve that does not require continuous anticoagulation therapy but is less durable and wears out faster than a mechanical valve.

Starr-Edwards Valve

A mechanical caged-ball prosthetic heart valve.

St. Jude Valve

A mechanical bi-leaflet prosthetic heart valve.

Carpentier-Edwards Valve

A biological porcine prosthetic heart valve.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy

The most common form of cardiomyopathy, characterized by enlargement of the heart chambers and impaired systolic pump function.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

A cardiomyopathy characterized by abnormal muscular thickening of the ventricular septum and left ventricle, in which positive inotropes are contraindicated.