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Cardiovascular System Flashcards

7 cards from real PANCE 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 flashcards as text
  1. A 65-year-old man with hypertension and diabetes presents with exertional dyspnea and preserved ejection fraction (60%). BNP is elevated. What is the most likely diagnosis?

    Answer: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)

    HFpEF is characterized by symptoms of heart failure with EF ≥50%, commonly seen in elderly patients with hypertension and diabetes who have impaired diastolic relaxation.

  2. A 40-year-old woman presents with exertional dyspnea and a loud S1 with an opening snap. Echocardiogram shows a mitral valve area of 1.2 cm². What is the preferred intervention?

    Answer: Percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty

    Percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty is the procedure of choice for symptomatic severe mitral stenosis with favorable valve morphology (pliable, non-calcified leaflets).

  3. A 30-year-old marathon runner collapses during a race. His ECG shows deep T-wave inversions in V1-V4 and epsilon waves. What is the most likely diagnosis?

    Answer: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

    ARVC is characterized by epsilon waves, T-wave inversions in right precordial leads, and fatty replacement of the right ventricular myocardium, causing ventricular arrhythmias.

  4. A patient post-MI develops a new harsh holosystolic murmur at the left sternal border with a thrill. Echo shows a step-up in oxygen saturation from right atrium to right ventricle. What is the diagnosis?

    Answer: Ventricular septal defect

    Post-MI ventricular septal defect causes a left-to-right shunt with oxygen step-up from RA to RV and presents with a harsh holosystolic murmur and thrill.

  5. A 58-year-old man with peripheral artery disease has an ankle-brachial index (ABI) of 0.55. He has rest pain. Next best step?

    Answer: Referral for revascularization

    An ABI <0.6 with rest pain indicates critical limb ischemia (CLI), which requires urgent revascularization to prevent limb loss.

  6. A 25-year-old woman with MVP presents with palpitations. Holter monitor shows frequent PVCs. She is anxious about her condition. First-line treatment is:

    Answer: Beta-blocker

    Beta-blockers are first-line for symptomatic PVCs in MVP as they suppress ectopy, reduce anxiety-triggered adrenergic activity, and have a favorable safety profile.

  7. Which EKG pattern is associated with right ventricular strain in pulmonary embolism?

    Answer: S1Q3T3 pattern

    The S1Q3T3 pattern (S wave in lead I, Q wave and T-wave inversion in lead III) reflects acute right ventricular strain from massive pulmonary embolism.