Cardiovascular Diagnoses Summaries
1. chest x-ray: used to track changes in chronic conditions and to verify
that any supplemental surgical components placed in heart are in the
right place
- can see size/position/gross structure of heart
- not as beneficial for acute diagnoses
2. echocardiogram: preferred imaging to diagnose and track congestive
heart fail- ure
- shows speed and volume of movement and changes in heart shape
over contractile phases
3. CT/CT angiogram: angiogram shows changes in blood flow in one
vessel v. others or before v. after an intervention
- good for acute circulatory compromise
- not as necessary for chronic conditions
4. electrocardiogram: tracks electrical activity in the heart over
contractile cycle - excellent tool to look for if there is something acute
going on
5. lab values for cardiac diagnoses: - arterial blood gases
- BNP
- cardiac enzymes
6. arterial blood gases: important in chronic diagnoses
- is there impact in lungs
- can often see hypoxia in chronic heart conditions
- sometimes can see hyperoxia in acute heart conditions
7. creatinine phosphate: can increase due to intense exercise session
on top of possible cardiac event - so often have to use secondary test
to differentiate
8. Ck-MB: cardiac specific enzyme that will tell us whether or not an
acute cardiac event has occured
9. troponin: another cardiac enzyme that increases due to acute cardiac
events
10.cardiac enzyme response to acute cardiac events: increase initially but
trend down after first day or 2
- troponin is persistently high compared to Ck-MB
11.PT implications of cardiac enzyme values: just want to see them
trending down even if they are abnormal
12.B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP): primary indicator of heart injury
- secreted from ventricle when heart is stretched and cues kidneys
to remove water/salt
- high values indicate chronic heart failure
1/
, Cardiovascular Diagnoses Summaries
13.PT implications of BNP: look at the trends over time, and
triangulate other numbers (WOB, O2 sat, HR, BP, edema) to make
decision to treat
14.what do we want to know/learn about the pt?: - reason for admission
- PMH
2/
1. chest x-ray: used to track changes in chronic conditions and to verify
that any supplemental surgical components placed in heart are in the
right place
- can see size/position/gross structure of heart
- not as beneficial for acute diagnoses
2. echocardiogram: preferred imaging to diagnose and track congestive
heart fail- ure
- shows speed and volume of movement and changes in heart shape
over contractile phases
3. CT/CT angiogram: angiogram shows changes in blood flow in one
vessel v. others or before v. after an intervention
- good for acute circulatory compromise
- not as necessary for chronic conditions
4. electrocardiogram: tracks electrical activity in the heart over
contractile cycle - excellent tool to look for if there is something acute
going on
5. lab values for cardiac diagnoses: - arterial blood gases
- BNP
- cardiac enzymes
6. arterial blood gases: important in chronic diagnoses
- is there impact in lungs
- can often see hypoxia in chronic heart conditions
- sometimes can see hyperoxia in acute heart conditions
7. creatinine phosphate: can increase due to intense exercise session
on top of possible cardiac event - so often have to use secondary test
to differentiate
8. Ck-MB: cardiac specific enzyme that will tell us whether or not an
acute cardiac event has occured
9. troponin: another cardiac enzyme that increases due to acute cardiac
events
10.cardiac enzyme response to acute cardiac events: increase initially but
trend down after first day or 2
- troponin is persistently high compared to Ck-MB
11.PT implications of cardiac enzyme values: just want to see them
trending down even if they are abnormal
12.B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP): primary indicator of heart injury
- secreted from ventricle when heart is stretched and cues kidneys
to remove water/salt
- high values indicate chronic heart failure
1/
, Cardiovascular Diagnoses Summaries
13.PT implications of BNP: look at the trends over time, and
triangulate other numbers (WOB, O2 sat, HR, BP, edema) to make
decision to treat
14.what do we want to know/learn about the pt?: - reason for admission
- PMH
2/
