Cardiovascular System Disorders Flashcards
7 cards from real Physician Assistant practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cardiovascular System Disorders flashcards as text
A patient with new-onset heart failure has an ejection fraction of 35%. Which combination of medications has been shown to reduce mortality?
Answer: ACE inhibitor + beta-blocker + aldosterone antagonist
The combination of ACE inhibitor (or ARB/ARNI), beta-blocker, and aldosterone antagonist forms the evidence-based cornerstone of HFrEF therapy.
Which type of shock is characterized by low PCWP, low SVR, and high cardiac output?
Answer: Distributive (septic) shock
Distributive shock (e.g., sepsis) features vasodilation causing low SVR and compensatory high CO with low filling pressures.
A 62-year-old man with a history of MI presents with palpitations. ECG shows a wide complex tachycardia at 160 bpm. What is the most important initial step?
Answer: Assume VT and treat accordingly until proven otherwise
Wide complex tachycardia in a patient with structural heart disease should be presumed ventricular tachycardia until proven otherwise.
Which physical exam maneuver increases the intensity of the murmur of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy?
Answer: Valsalva maneuver
Valsalva decreases preload and venous return, reducing LV size and worsening outflow obstruction in HOCM, increasing the murmur.
A patient on warfarin for AF has an INR of 8.5 with active major bleeding. What is the most appropriate immediate treatment?
Answer: 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (4F-PCC) plus IV vitamin K
Life-threatening warfarin-related bleeding requires rapid reversal with 4F-PCC for immediate effect plus IV vitamin K for sustained reversal.
What is the most common cause of right heart failure in the United States?
Answer: Left heart failure
Left heart failure is the most common cause of right heart failure due to elevated pulmonary pressures transmitted to the right ventricle.
A 55-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus develops pericarditis. Which anti-inflammatory agent is typically added to NSAIDs to reduce recurrence?
Answer: Colchicine
Colchicine added to NSAIDs significantly reduces the risk of recurrent pericarditis and is now standard first-line adjunct therapy.