Cardiac Catheterization Procedures Flashcards
7 cards from real CVT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cardiac Catheterization Procedures flashcards as text
During a left heart catheterization, which valve must the catheter cross to enter the left ventricle when using the retrograde approach?
Answer: Aortic valve
The retrograde approach enters the femoral artery, travels up the aorta, and crosses the aortic valve to reach the left ventricle.
A patient develops a sudden drop in blood pressure and loss of cardiac output during catheterization. The monitor shows electrical alternans. What is the most likely complication?
Answer: Cardiac tamponade
Cardiac tamponade causes electrical alternans, hemodynamic compromise, and requires immediate pericardiocentesis.
Which hemodynamic finding is characteristic of severe mitral stenosis on cardiac catheterization?
Answer: Elevated mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure with a diastolic gradient
Severe mitral stenosis produces an elevated mean PCWP with a pressure gradient between PCWP and left ventricular diastolic pressure.
The Gorlin formula is used during cardiac catheterization to calculate which measurement?
Answer: Valve orifice area
The Gorlin formula uses flow and pressure gradient across a valve to calculate valve orifice area.
During right heart catheterization, the catheter is positioned in the pulmonary artery 'wedge' position. What does this measurement approximate?
Answer: Left atrial pressure
The PCWP reflects back-pressure from the left atrium when the catheter occludes forward flow in a branch pulmonary artery.
A patient undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention develops acute stent thrombosis 2 hours post-procedure. Which anticoagulation regimen failure is most likely implicated?
Answer: Failure to load with dual antiplatelet therapy before PCI
Inadequate pre-procedural dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin + P2Y12 inhibitor) is the most common cause of early stent thrombosis.
Which access site complication is most unique to the radial approach compared to the femoral approach in cardiac catheterization?
Answer: Radial artery occlusion
Radial artery occlusion occurs in approximately 1-5% of transradial procedures and is rare with the femoral approach.