Overview Hyperlipidaemia is an umbrella term which encompasses genetic and acquired disorders that raise lipid levels within the blood. Hyperlipidaemia does not independently cause clinical symptoms, rather can lead to other disorders that can manifest in possible life-threatening presentations. Most notably, hyperlipidaemia causes atherosclerosis which may lead to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular disease.1 Objectively, […]

Overview Junctional rhythms occur when the AV node takes over as the primary pacemaker.  Junctional rhythm usually is associated with a benign course. Mechanism Aetiology and Risk Factors Aetiology Clinical Manifestation Junctional rhythm ECG features Classification Treatment

Overview Marfan’s Syndrome is one of the most common inherited disorders of connective tissue. Marfan syndrome is a hereditary disease affecting connective tissues in the body, resulting in symptoms such as aortic dissection and musculoskeletal deformities. However, no family history of Marfan’s does not exclude the diagnosis as 30% can occur through gene mutation. Aetiology and […]

Overview Heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not pump enough blood to meet all the needs of the body. It is caused by heart muscle damage or dysfunction, valve problems, heart rhythm disturbances and other rarer causes. Acute heart failure can present as new-onset heart failure in people without known cardiac […]

Overview Angina Pectoris refers to the pain caused by myocardial ischaemia. Myocardial Ischaemia is usually caused by stenosis within the vessel decreasing blood flow to the muscle, but it can be caused by tachycardia, anaemia, aortic stenosis, left ventricular hypertophy and many other disease. Angina “latin choking”. Aetiology and Risk Factors Modifiable Non-modifiable Smoking Increasing age […]

Overview Atrial fibrillation, AF is a chaotic, irregular atrial rhythm at 300-600bpm; the AV node responds intermittently, hence an irregular ventricular rate. AF is the most common sustained dysrhythmia; characterised by absent P waves, irregularly irregular heart rate, narrow QRS (typically). It is common in the elderly. The main risk of AF is embolic stroke […]

Overview An arrythmia refers to any disturbance in cardiac electrical activity that is not normal sinus rhythm with normal atrioventricular conduction. This may include changes in rate, rhythm or site of origin of the electrical signal for contraction. 1 Normal conduction of the heart For the heart to pump normally2: Classification of Arrythmias There are […]

Overview Coronary artery obstruction or rupture can result in a variety of ischaemic condition which fall under the term of acute coronary syndrome. This does not include stable angina. Ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death world wide. The mortality of myocardial infarction is believed to be 45% with 70% of these deaths […]

Overview Pericarditis is the most common form of pericardial disease and a relatively common cause of chest pain. The etiology of pericarditis may be infectious (eg, viral and bacterial) or noninfectious (eg, systemic inflammatory diseases, cancer, and post-cardiac injury syndromes). Tuberculosis is a major cause of pericarditis in developing countries but accounts for less than 5% […]

Overview Higher levels of cholesterol associated with worse CV outcomes. Three main types that are measured: VLDL, LDL and HDL. High LDL is associated with a significant increase in cardiovascular problems. Hypercholesterolaemia can also run in families. Lifestyle modification aim to reduce cardiovascular risk. Pharmacological agents are lipid lowering drugs, statins being first-line. Anatomy and […]

Overview Infective endocarditis is a condition which occurs in the setting of bacteraemia whereby endothelial surfaces of the heart, such as valvular structures, become infected. It can present acutely or subacutely, and is often associated with fevers, new heart murmurs, constitutional symptoms and embolic phenomena. The classical organism associated is Staphylcoccus aureus, however there are […]

Overview Mitral regurgitation (MR), which is also known as mitral insufficiency, is a common heart valve disorder. When MR is present, blood leaks backwards through the mitral valve when the heart contracts. This reduces the amount of blood that is pumped out to the body. Patients with acute mitral regurgitation (MR) are often gravely ill with […]

Overview Mitral stenosis causes an obstruction to blood flow from the left atrium to left ventricle usually as a result of rheumatic heart disease. The stenosis results in increased pressure in the left atrium, pulmonary vasculature and right side of heart. Mitral valve disease is a frequent cause of heart failure and death. Valvular Heart Disease […]

Overview Cardiac Valves The heart has 4 valves: The Mitral and tricuspid valves are atrioventricular valves meaning they allow blood to move from the atrium to the ventricles of the heart. This occurs with ventricular diastole. The aortic and pulmonary valve are tricuspid valves which when open allow blood to move to the aorta and pulmonary […]

Summary of Hypertension Hypertension can be divided into primary (essential) and secondary hypertension (a result of an underlying condition, ie. renal artery stenosis). It is important to identify wether this is an underlying cause of the hypertension based on history, risk factors and by ordering appropriate tests. Untreated, undiagnosed and poor compliancy can result in […]