Cardiovascular Disease 2: Hypertension, Stroke, and Peripheral Vascular Disease

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key terms, pathophysiology, diagnostics, and management protocols for Hypertension, Stroke, and Peripheral Vascular Disease.

Systolic Pressure

The arterial blood pressure measured when the heart contracts.

Diastolic Pressure

The arterial blood pressure measured between heartbeats when the heart relaxes.

Secondary Hypertension

Elevated blood pressure with a specific identifiable cause, accounting for $5\text{--}10\%$ of cases, including conditions such as renal artery stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, Cushing's syndrome, and certain medications.

Isolated Systolic Hypertension

A diagnostic category of hypertension defined by a systolic blood pressure $> 140\,\text{mmHg}$ and a diastolic blood pressure $< 90\,\text{mmHg}$.

National Hypertension Taskforce

An Australian cross-sector collaboration launched on December 8, 2022, aiming to double national blood pressure control rates by 2030 through clinical guideline adherence, lifestyle interventions, and home blood pressure monitoring.

Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)

A temporary episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischaemia without acute infarction, where symptoms typically last $< 1\,\text{hour}$ and completely resolve within $24\,\text{hours}$.

F.A.S.T.

A clinical mnemonic used to rapidly recognize signs of a stroke: Face (has their face drooped?), Arms (can they lift both arms?), Speech (is their speech slurred and do they understand you?), and Time (time is critical; call 000).

Receptive Aphasia

A language impairment resulting from stroke damage to the dominant hemisphere characterized by the loss of language comprehension.

Expressive Aphasia

A language impairment resulting from stroke damage to the dominant hemisphere characterized by the loss of the ability to produce language.

Global Aphasia

A severe form of aphasia caused by extensive stroke damage that results in the total inability to communicate.

Agnosia

A spatial-perceptual alteration following brain damage characterized by the inability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells despite intact sensory modalities.

Apraxia

The inability to carry out purposeful, learned motor acts or movements as a result of brain damage, despite having the physical ability and desire to execute them.

Ischaemic Penumbra

The hypoperfused area of ischemic brain tissue surrounding the non-viable infarcted core that remains structurally viable and can be salvaged if reperfusion is achieved rapidly.

FeSS Protocol

An evidence-based nursing care bundle applied for $72\,\text{hours}$ in acute stroke that manages Fever ($\text{temperature} < 37.5\,^{\circ}\text{C}$), Sugar ($\text{blood glucose} < 10\,\text{mmol/L}$), and Swallow (dysphagia screening within $4\,\text{hours}$), reducing morbidity and mortality by $16\%$.

Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA)

A thrombolytic agent administered intravenously to acute ischaemic stroke patients within $4.5\,\text{hours}$ of symptom onset to dissolve clots and re-establish blood flow.

Endovascular Clot Retrieval (ECR)

A catheter-based intervention for acute ischaemic stroke that mechanically removes large vessel occlusive thrombi from cerebral vasculature up to $24\,\text{hours}$ from symptom onset.

MERCI Retrieval Device

A specialized neurointerventional tool featuring a corkscrew-shaped nitinol wire designed to mechanically entrap and extract thrombi during endovascular clot retrieval.

Aneurysm Clipping

A surgical intervention for haemorrhagic stroke or subarachnoid haemorrhage in which a microvascular metal clip is placed across the neck of a berry aneurysm to prevent rupture or re-bleeding.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

A circulatory disorder characterized by progressive stenosis and degeneration of arteries of the upper and lower extremities, predominantly caused by atherosclerosis.

Intermittent Claudication

Ischemic muscle ache, pain, or cramping in the lower extremities precipitated by exercise or walking and consistently relieved within minutes of rest, characteristic of peripheral artery disease.

Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)

A non-invasive diagnostic vascular screening method for peripheral artery disease calculated by dividing the systolic blood pressure measured at the ankle by the systolic blood pressure measured at the brachial artery using a hand-held Doppler probe.

Right-Brain Damage Manifestations

A constellation of stroke manifestations including left-sided hemiplegia, left-sided unilateral neglect, spatial-perceptual deficits, tendency to deny or minimize problems, rapid performance, short attention span, and impulsive safety concerns.

Left-Brain Damage Manifestations

A constellation of stroke manifestations including right-sided hemiplegia, impaired speech and language (aphasias), impaired right/left discrimination, slow and cautious behavior, heightened awareness of deficits (leading to depression and anxiety), and impaired language and math comprehension.

Critical Limb Ischaemia

An advanced stage of peripheral artery disease characterized by chronic ischaemic rest pain, non-healing ulcers, or gangrene that directly threatens limb viability and requires urgent revascularisation.