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Cardiovascular Disease Flashcards

7 cards from real ITE 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 Disease flashcards as text

  1. A 58-year-old man with hypertension presents with sudden-onset tearing chest pain radiating to the back. BP is 180/100 in the right arm and 150/85 in the left arm. Which imaging study is most appropriate?

    Answer: CT angiography of the chest

    CT angiography is the gold standard for diagnosing aortic dissection, which is suggested by the tearing pain and blood pressure differential between arms.

  2. A patient with known mitral stenosis develops sudden onset palpitations. ECG shows no P waves and irregularly irregular rhythm. What is the immediate concern?

    Answer: Systemic thromboembolism

    Atrial fibrillation in mitral stenosis significantly increases the risk of left atrial thrombus formation and systemic embolism, including stroke.

  3. Which medication class is the preferred initial treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) to reduce mortality?

    Answer: Beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors

    Beta-blockers (carvedilol, metoprolol succinate, bisoprolol) and ACE inhibitors/ARBs are proven to reduce mortality in HFrEF and are the cornerstone of therapy.

  4. A 65-year-old woman presents with exertional dyspnea and a harsh systolic crescendo-decrescendo murmur at the right upper sternal border radiating to the carotids. Echocardiogram shows an AVA of 0.7 cm². What is the next step?

    Answer: Referral for aortic valve replacement

    An AVA <0.8 cm² with symptoms defines severe symptomatic aortic stenosis, which requires valve replacement as definitive treatment.

  5. A 70-year-old man is found to have a 5.6 cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm on ultrasound during screening. He is asymptomatic. What is the recommended management?

    Answer: Elective surgical repair

    AAAs ≥5.5 cm in men carry high rupture risk and warrant elective repair; this patient's 5.6 cm aneurysm meets the threshold.

  6. Which finding on ECG is most consistent with hyperkalemia in a patient with chronic kidney disease?

    Answer: Tall peaked T waves

    Hyperkalemia classically produces tall, narrow, peaked T waves as one of the earliest ECG manifestations.

  7. A patient with systolic heart failure (EF 30%) continues to have symptoms despite optimal doses of ACE inhibitor and beta-blocker. QRS duration is 155 ms on ECG. What therapy should be added?

    Answer: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)

    CRT is indicated in symptomatic HFrEF with LBBB morphology and QRS ≥150 ms despite optimal medical therapy, improving symptoms and mortality.