Angina Basics
This term refers to chest pain caused by transient myocardial ischemia without cell death.
Answer: What is angina pectoris?
This term describes decreased blood flow to the myocardium that, if prolonged, can lead to infarction.
Answer: What is myocardial ischemia?
This is the basic definition of heart failure.
Answer: What is the inability of the heart to pump sufficient blood to meet the body’s metabolic needs?
Patients with HF are taught to weigh themselves at this frequency, at the same time and on the same scale.
Answer: What is daily?
This medication, given sublingually, is the first-line drug for acute angina attacks.
Answer: What is nitroglycerin?
This type of angina is predictable, occurs with exertion or stress, and is relieved by rest or nitroglycerin.
Answer: What is stable angina?
This life-threatening condition occurs when myocardial ischemia is severe and sustained long enough to cause irreversible cell death.
Answer: What is a myocardial infarction (MI)?
This term describes heart failure in which the left ventricle cannot eject blood effectively, leading to a reduced ejection fraction.
Answer: What is systolic heart failure (HFrEF)?
A patient with HF should report this amount of weight gain in 1 day or in 1 week.
Answer: What is 2–3 pounds (about 1 kg) in 1 day or 5 pounds (about 2–2.5 kg) in 1 week?
When taking sublingual nitroglycerin for chest pain, the patient may repeat the dose at this interval, up to this maximum number of doses, while calling 911 after first 5 minutes if pain persists.
Answer: What is every 5 minutes for a total 3 doses, and call 911 if pain persists 5 minutes after first dose.
This type of angina is new in onset, occurs at rest, or has a worsening pattern and is considered an emergency.
Answer: What is unstable angina?
This umbrella term includes unstable angina, NSTEMI, and STEMI.
Answer: What is acute coronary syndrome (ACS)?
This type of heart failure is characterized by impaired ventricular relaxation and filling with a preserved ejection fraction.
Answer: What is diastolic heart failure (HFpEF)?
These two classic lung assessment findings may indicate worsening left-sided heart failure.
Answer: What are crackles (rales) and shortness of breath (dyspnea)?
Patients taking sublingual nitroglycerin should be taught to do this before taking it to reduce the risk of dizziness and hypotension.
Answer: What is sit or lie down?
This type of angina occurs at rest, often at night, and is caused by coronary artery spasm.
Answer: What is Prinzmetal’s (variant) angina?
Chest pain from an MI typically lasts longer than this amount of time and is not relieved by rest or nitroglycerin.
Answer: What is 20 minutes?
This classification system, with Classes I–IV, is commonly used to describe the severity of symptoms in heart failure.
Answer: What is the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification?
This lower extremity finding, assessed by pressing over the tibia or ankle, is common in right-sided heart failure.
Answer: What is peripheral pitting edema?
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These two drug classes are cornerstones of chronic heart failure therapy because they block RAAS and sympathetic activation.
Answer: What are ACE inhibitors (or ARBs) and beta-blockers?
This is the underlying pathophysiologic problem that causes angina pectoris.
Answer: What is an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand (myocardial ischemia)?
This ECG change is classic for a full-thickness (transmural) ST-segment elevation MI.
Answer: What is ST-segment elevation in the affected leads?
According to pathophysiology texts, these two compensatory mechanisms (name both) initially maintain cardiac output but later contribute to progression of heart failure.
Answer: What are activation of the sympathetic nervous system and activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS)?
Name two key components of self-management teaching for heart failure that help prevent decompensation.
Answer: What are (any two) daily weights, sodium restriction, fluid management, medication adherence, symptom monitoring, activity pacing, or follow-up appointments?
This class of drugs (e.g., furosemide) reduces preload and symptoms of fluid overload by promoting diuresis.
Answer: What are loop diuretics?