Thoracic Key

Coronary Artery Disease Atherosclerosis: pathophysiology Atherosclerosis is a disease of the large and medium-sized arteries. The term atherosclerosis is derived from Latin and means gruel-like (‘athero’) hardening (‘sclerosis’) of the…

Pericardial Diseases Aetiology The pericardium may be involved in the large number of disease processes listed in the box below. In some patients, pericardial disease is the primary disease process…

Heart Muscle Diseases Classification Heart muscle diseases include a diverse range of cardiomyopathies and myocardites. Cardiomyopathies have been previously classified as diseases of unknown cause and were therefore distinct from…

Heart Failure Introduction Definition Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome in which the heart fails to meet the metabolic demands of the body. It can result from any structural…

Valvular Heart Disease General considerations Development Cardiac valves develop from the mesodermal germ layer between the 4th and 7th week of gestation. Any factors affecting embryogenesis during this time can…

Infective Endocarditis Presentation of endocarditis Key facts Highly variable presentation—depends on intracardiac pathology, virulence of organism, and extracardiac involvement. Presentation can be insidious, as in streptococcal infections, or with striking…

Cardiac Investigations Exercise ECG A commonly used test involving a treadmill, blood pressure (BP) measurement, and continuous electrocardiograph (ECG) monitoring. Overall sensitivity for coronary heart disease is around 68% and…

Drugs for the Heart Antiplatelet agents Antiplatelet agents are used to reduce the risk of arterial thrombus formation by preventing platelet activation and aggregation. Antiplatelet agents have a role in…