Pathophysiology Review Guide: Modules 6–9

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering pathophysiology core concepts across Modules 6 through 9, including peripheral vascular, cardiac, pulmonary, and genitourinary/renal systems.

Preload

The filling and stretching of the myocardial fibers in the ventricle before contraction.

Afterload

The resistance or pressure that the ventricle must overcome to eject blood during contraction.

Contractility

The intrinsic pumping strength of the myocardial muscle.

Arteriosclerosis

A general vascular condition characterized by the thickening, stiffening, and loss of elasticity of arterial walls.

Atherosclerosis

A specific form of arterial disease involving the accumulation of lipid-rich plaque in arterial walls, narrowing the lumen and impairing downstream blood flow.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

A condition characterized by reduced arterial blood and oxygen delivery to the extremities (commonly due to atherosclerotic narrowing), leading to exertional claudication, cool or pale extremities, weak pulses, and delayed wound healing.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

A disorder caused by persistently impaired venous return that produces venous hypertension, dependent edema, aching, heaviness, varicosities, skin changes, and possible venous ulcers.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

The formation of a thrombus within a deep vein (commonly in the thigh or calf) that carries a critical risk of dislodging and causing a pulmonary embolism.

Aneurysm

A localized dilation or outpouching of an arterial wall, frequently associated with arterial wall weakening from atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Stable Angina

Predictable myocardial chest discomfort brought on by exertion and increased demand against a fixed coronary artery narrowing, typically resolving with rest and/or nitroglycerin.

Unstable Angina

An acute coronary syndrome manifestation caused by plaque rupture with partial coronary artery occlusion, presenting with chest pain at rest or with unpredictable severity and ischemic ECG changes without cell death.

Myocardial Infarction (MI)

Myocardial cell death resulting from complete coronary occlusion and sustained ischemia, characterized by elevated serum troponin levels and infarction-related ECG changes.

Valvular Stenosis

A condition in which a stiffened or narrowed heart valve fails to open fully, obstructing forward blood flow and creating turbulent flow heard as a murmur.

Valvular Incompetence

A condition (also referred to as insufficiency or prolapse) in which a heart valve fails to close completely, allowing blood to regurgitate backward into the preceding chamber.

Cor Pulmonale

Right-sided heart failure resulting specifically from increased pulmonary vascular resistance.

Cardiogenic Shock

A state of profound cardiac pump failure causing inadequate tissue perfusion, cellular hypoxia, and systemic hypotension often below $90/60\,\text{mm Hg}$.

Ventilation

The mechanical movement of air into and out of the lungs.

Perfusion

The flow of blood through pulmonary capillary beds to exchange gases.

Diffusion

The transfer of $O_2$ and $CO_2$ molecules across the alveolocapillary membrane between alveoli and capillary blood.

$$V/Q\text{ Ratio}$$

The ratio of alveolar ventilation ($V$) to pulmonary capillary perfusion ($Q$), with a normal baseline of approximately $0.8$ (about $4\,\text{L}$ ventilation to $5\,\text{L}$ perfusion).

Restrictive Pulmonary Disorders

Lungs disorders that primarily impair chest wall or lung expansion and make inhalation difficult, commonly leading to hypoxemia.

Obstructive Pulmonary Disorders

Lung disorders that primarily impair airflow during exhalation, causing air trapping, impaired $CO_2$ removal, and prolonged expiration.

Pulmonary Embolus

An obstruction of pulmonary arterial blood flow (typically from a deep vein clot) that creates a high-$V/Q$ mismatch with preserved ventilation but reduced perfusion, presenting with sudden dyspnea, chest pain, and tachypnea.

Emphysema

An obstructive pulmonary disorder involving destruction of alveolar walls, loss of alveolocapillary surface area and elastic recoil, air trapping, and manifestations like barrel chest and pursed-lip breathing (the 'pink puffer' phenotype).

Chronic Bronchitis

An obstructive airway disorder driven by chronic irritant exposure that induces mucus hypersecretion and chronic airway inflammation, leading to airflow obstruction, cyanosis, and fluid retention (the 'blue bloater' phenotype).

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

An age-related non-malignant enlargement of prostate tissue that compresses the prostatic urethra, leading to hesitancy, reduced urinary stream, urgency, and retention.

Endometriosis

The presence and proliferation of functional endometrial tissue outside the uterus, causing dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, and infertility.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

An infection and inflammation of the female upper reproductive tract, frequently ascending from untreated sexually transmitted infections (such as chlamydia or gonorrhea), that can result in chronic pelvic pain and infertility.

Hydronephrosis

Dilation and pressurization of the renal pelvis and calyces caused by retrograde back-pressure of urine behind a urinary tract obstruction.

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

An abrupt decline in renal filtration function characterized by symptoms presenting in less than $48\,\text{hours}$, oliguria (less than $30\,\text{cc/hour}$), and rapid elevation of serum BUN and creatinine.

Prerenal AKI

An acute reduction in renal function resulting from compromised arterial blood flow and perfusion to intact kidneys (such as from dehydration, blood loss, sepsis, or heart failure).

Intrarenal AKI

Acute kidney damage resulting from direct structural injury to the renal parenchyma, affecting the glomeruli (marked by proteinuria and hematuria) or the renal tubules.

Acute Tubular Necrosis (ATN)

A form of intrarenal tubular injury caused by severe prolonged ischemia or nephrotoxins, characterized by tubular cell death, sloughing, and the presence of urinary casts.

Postrenal AKI

An acute impairment of kidney function caused by mechanical obstruction of urine outflow distal to the kidney (such as by stones, BPH, or pelvic organ prolapse) leading to back-pressure.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Progressive, irreversible loss of nephron units leading to fluid retention, solute accumulation (uremia and pruritus), hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, anemia from reduced erythropoietin production, and metabolic acidosis.