Anatomy subcategory
Coronary Artery Disease
Mnemonics for angina, acute coronary syndromes and secondary prevention.
Entries in Coronary Artery Disease
ECG first, then troponin, then the diagnosis follows
A memory aid for separating unstable angina, NSTEMI and STEMI.
Three features define typical angina
A memory aid for typical, atypical and non-anginal chest pain.
Aspirin blocks thromboxane, clopidogrel blocks ADP, abciximab blocks GPIIb/IIIa
A memory aid for the antiplatelet classes and their targets.
Tearing pain to the back, with unequal pulses
A memory aid for the presentation and classification of aortic dissection.
Endothelial injury, lipid entry, foam cells, fatty streak, then fibrous plaque
A memory aid for the stages of atherosclerotic plaque formation.
Troponin is the standard, rising at 3 to 6 hours and remaining raised for days
A memory aid for the timing of cardiac markers after infarction.
Dominance is decided by whichever artery gives the posterior descending branch, the right in about 85 per cent
A memory aid for what determines coronary dominance and which artery supplies the conducting nodes.
Local metabolic factors dominate, especially adenosine and hypoxia
A memory aid for what controls coronary blood flow.
The left coronary artery fills in diastole, when the myocardium is relaxed
A memory aid for when the coronary arteries actually fill.
Great, middle and small cardiac veins, posterior vein of the left ventricle and the oblique vein of the left atrium
A memory aid for the veins draining into the coronary sinus.
Dilating already maximally dilated vessels diverts flow away from ischaemic territory
A memory aid for the mechanism of coronary steal.
Score first, then D-dimer or ultrasound accordingly
A memory aid for the Wells score and the diagnostic pathway for DVT.
Graded exercise with continuous ECG, looking for ischaemic change
A memory aid for the use, endpoints and limits of exercise ECG testing.
Perfusion falls, then metabolism, then diastolic and systolic function, then ECG changes, then pain
A memory aid for the sequence of events after coronary occlusion.
Left anterior descending and circumflex arteries
A memory aid for the branches of the left coronary artery and the territory they supply.
Coagulative necrosis, then neutrophils, macrophages, granulation tissue and scar
A memory aid for the histological evolution of a myocardial infarct.
Heart rate, contractility and wall stress
A memory aid for the determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption.
Stunning follows restored flow; hibernation persists with reduced flow
A memory aid for distinguishing stunned from hibernating myocardium.
Nitric oxide donation causes venodilatation, reducing preload and wall stress
A memory aid for how nitrates relieve angina.
The four drugs, plus rehabilitation and risk factor control
A mnemonic for the drugs and measures given after an infarct.
Statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase; ezetimibe blocks absorption; PCSK9 inhibitors preserve LDL receptors
A memory aid for the lipid-lowering drug classes.
A marker of myocardial injury, not of myocardial infarction
A memory aid for interpreting a raised troponin.