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RDCS Questions and Answers
A patient with a systolic ejection murmur and diminished A2 has what?
o :# Aortic Stenosis
What is Congestive Heart Failure?
o :# Clinical findings that occur when the heart ( right or left side) is unable to
maintain adequate circulation for any reason. Pump failure.
- Characterized by: fatigue, shortness of breath, peripheral edema and abdominal
distention
What is hypovolemic shock?
o :# From volume loss or cardiogenic shock, unable to maintain arterial blood
pressure.
-Clinical findings include: prostration, hypotension, pallor, coldness, collapse of
superficial veins, decreased urine output and mental abtundation
Left to right VS Right to let shunts:
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o :# Mot cardiac shunts ( VSDs and ASDs) shunt left to right due to higher left
side pressures. Depending on the shunt volume there will be right side
enlargement and increase pressure
- if uncorrected PHTN may occur. " Eisenmenger's syndrome" is the development of
PHTn from a long standing left to right shunt and the reversal of the shunt to right-to-left
( patient becomes cyanotic)
What is cor pulmonale?
o :# Heart disease secondary to disease of the lungs or pulmonary vasculature.
Failure of the right ventricle resulting from disorders of the lungs, pulmonary
vessels or chest wall. Acute ( from pulmonary embolism) or chronic ( COPD,
chronic asthma, emphysema or pulmonary fibrosis).
-Characterized by PHTN, RV hypertrophy and dilatation
What is tamponade?
o :# A hemodynamic diagnosis. Increase intrapericardial pressure causes impaired
ventricular filling and decreased cardiac output. Treatment is pericardiocentesis
What is constrictive pericarditis?
o :# Fibrosis, thickening of the pericardium restricting diastolic filling. Treatment
is pericardial stripping (pericardiectomy)
What is the doppler equation?
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o :# V= c/2fo cos0 x F2
Maximum flow is when the doppler beam is?
o :# Parallel to flow
Compare the two dopplers
o :# - Pulsed wave: has range resolution and a limitation on maximum velocity (
think aliasing
- Continuos wave: has range resolution and NO limitation on maximum velocity
What are normal doppler velocities?
o :# - Mitral diastolic: Children- 1.00(0.7-1.4) [m/sec] ; Adults- .92(.6-1.4) [m/sec]
- Tricuspid diastolic: Children- .62(.5-.9) [m/sec] ; Adults- .58(.4-.8) [m/sec]
- Pulmonary systolic: Children- .84(.6-1.2) [ m/sec] ; Adults- .72(.5-.9) [m/sec]
- Aortic systolic: Children- 1.52(1.2-1.7) [m/sec] ; 1.40(,9-1.8) [m/sec]
What is a typical gradient range for aortic stenosis?
o :# 3.0 - 5.0 m/sec
Which valve lesion has the highest doppler peak?
o :# Mitral regurgitation
RDCS Questions and Answers
A patient with a systolic ejection murmur and diminished A2 has what?
o :# Aortic Stenosis
What is Congestive Heart Failure?
o :# Clinical findings that occur when the heart ( right or left side) is unable to
maintain adequate circulation for any reason. Pump failure.
- Characterized by: fatigue, shortness of breath, peripheral edema and abdominal
distention
What is hypovolemic shock?
o :# From volume loss or cardiogenic shock, unable to maintain arterial blood
pressure.
-Clinical findings include: prostration, hypotension, pallor, coldness, collapse of
superficial veins, decreased urine output and mental abtundation
Left to right VS Right to let shunts:
, 2024/2025 2|Page
o :# Mot cardiac shunts ( VSDs and ASDs) shunt left to right due to higher left
side pressures. Depending on the shunt volume there will be right side
enlargement and increase pressure
- if uncorrected PHTN may occur. " Eisenmenger's syndrome" is the development of
PHTn from a long standing left to right shunt and the reversal of the shunt to right-to-left
( patient becomes cyanotic)
What is cor pulmonale?
o :# Heart disease secondary to disease of the lungs or pulmonary vasculature.
Failure of the right ventricle resulting from disorders of the lungs, pulmonary
vessels or chest wall. Acute ( from pulmonary embolism) or chronic ( COPD,
chronic asthma, emphysema or pulmonary fibrosis).
-Characterized by PHTN, RV hypertrophy and dilatation
What is tamponade?
o :# A hemodynamic diagnosis. Increase intrapericardial pressure causes impaired
ventricular filling and decreased cardiac output. Treatment is pericardiocentesis
What is constrictive pericarditis?
o :# Fibrosis, thickening of the pericardium restricting diastolic filling. Treatment
is pericardial stripping (pericardiectomy)
What is the doppler equation?
, 2024/2025 3|Page
o :# V= c/2fo cos0 x F2
Maximum flow is when the doppler beam is?
o :# Parallel to flow
Compare the two dopplers
o :# - Pulsed wave: has range resolution and a limitation on maximum velocity (
think aliasing
- Continuos wave: has range resolution and NO limitation on maximum velocity
What are normal doppler velocities?
o :# - Mitral diastolic: Children- 1.00(0.7-1.4) [m/sec] ; Adults- .92(.6-1.4) [m/sec]
- Tricuspid diastolic: Children- .62(.5-.9) [m/sec] ; Adults- .58(.4-.8) [m/sec]
- Pulmonary systolic: Children- .84(.6-1.2) [ m/sec] ; Adults- .72(.5-.9) [m/sec]
- Aortic systolic: Children- 1.52(1.2-1.7) [m/sec] ; 1.40(,9-1.8) [m/sec]
What is a typical gradient range for aortic stenosis?
o :# 3.0 - 5.0 m/sec
Which valve lesion has the highest doppler peak?
o :# Mitral regurgitation
