Diagnosis of Cardiac Problems (GATE - XL)

ST depression is a sign of myocardial ischemia. It occurs when the heart muscle or myocardium receives insufficient blood flow.

The appearance of a separate J wave or Osborn wave at the J point is pathognomonic of hypothermia. In hypothermia, body's core temperature falls and there is a decrease in the heart rate.

Myocardial perfusion imaging is a nuclear stress test in which a radioisotope (Thallium-201 or Technetium-99) is injected into the bloodstream to provide information on the functioning of heart muscles.

Digital subtraction angiography is used to visualise arterial and venous supply to the brain. This is a fluorescence technique to clearly visualise blood vessels in bony or dense soft tissues, like brain.

Fluoroscopy is a technique to visualise the path of the catheter as it enters the heart or the coronary arteries. The use of fluoroscopy requires radiopaque contrast.

Loop recorder only stores those periods of heart rhythm that it recognises as irregular. An implantable loop recorder is usually given to patients who experience heart-related symptoms such as fainting, light headedness, dizziness, seizure and frequent palpitations.

Radiocontrast agents used in angiocardiography contain iodine. Ionic iodine and non-ionic iodine based contrast media are used most commonly due to their solubility and their relatively harmless interaction with the body.

Ejection fraction is an important determinant of the severity of systolic heart failure. Ejection fraction is low in patients with systolic congestive heart failure.

This is false. TEE gives a clearer image of structures that are difficult to view transthoracically because the heart rests directly upon the esophagus, leaving only millimeters that the ultrasound beam has to travel.

Phonocardiogram is a technique to assess the effect of drugs on heart by recording the sounds made by the heart in the cardiac cycle.

A high level of homocysteine in the blood makes a person more susceptible to endothelial cell injury which may progress to inflammation in the blood vessels, atherogenesis and to ischemic injury. Hyperhomocysteinemia (high level of homocysteine in the blood) is a possible risk factor for coronary artery disease.

Cardiotocography technique is used to record foetal heartbeat. This is done to assess foetal well-being.

These parameters put a 75 year old diabetic patient on a greater risk of coronary heart disease. Apo A1 is the major protein of HDL. Desirable level for adults is more than 123 mg/dL. Fibrinogen is a protein found in the blood that encourages blood clotting but high levels are linked to an increased risk for heart attack and vascular disease. Normal levels are less than 300 mg/dL.

To permit electron conduction from the skin to the wire and to the electrocardiogram, potassium chloride gel is used.

Cardiac ventriculography yields three crucial measurements for diagnosis of cardiovascular function. They are ejection fraction, stroke volume and cardiac output. They all lend mathematical structure to the common medical term 'systole'. Cardiac ventriculography involves injecting contrast media into the heart's ventricle(s) to measure the volume of blood pumped.