Criteria can be quickly summarized in: Major clinical criteria (or pathological criteria) – Evidence of either valve damage or evidence of microorganisms within the bloodstream: Positive ecocardiography for infective endocarditis: vegetation, abscess, dehiscence of prosthetic valve. 2 separated positive blood cultures for typical IE microorganisms, or a single one for Cox. Burnetti. Minor clinical criteria…
Tag: cardiology
Pericardial disease: 2015 ESC guidelines / Pericarditis, diagnóstico según la ESC, 2015.
The following illustration summarizes both clinical presentation and diagnostic procedure and criteria of pericardial disease, as well as one of the worst complications: constriction and arrest (due to obstructive shock). Remember the following: you will start suspecting it after seeing, listening and talking to your patient. You will use ECG, bio-markers and imaging to confirm…
Atrial fibrillation and increased stroke risk / Fibrilación auricular y riesgo elevado de ictus.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia. As sinus rhythm fails and an irregular pace is established, turbulence in atria increases the risk of thrombus formation, embolism and ischemic stroke. It also increases the risk of tachyarrhythmia, altering end diastolic volume, causing heart failure. In order to prevent stroke, depending on certain risk factors and…
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction pathophysiology.
Also known as “diastolic heart failure”. Heart failure is one of the most important causes of dyspnea and fatigue in patients who attend to the ED with this chief complaint. Dyspnea is mostly on exertion, along with orthopnea, increased nocturia (urination at night, having to wake up) and possible progressive lower extremity edema, specially at…
STEMI vs NSTEMI
Myocardial infarction / Infarto agudo de miocardio: The following illustration reviews the pathological and ECG differences between a myocardial infarction without and with ST segment elevation. Patients will visit the ED with chest pain compatible with angina pectoris, and will require assessment of atherosclerotic and cardiovascular disease risk. This will be reviewed in future posts….
