Cardiovascular System and Heart Disease

What this page covers

This unit sits in the Cardiovascular Medicine strand of Internal medicine, pathology and clinical semiology. The resources were made by GoConqr users and run from structural disease to rhythm problems and circulatory failure. Most are mind maps, with flashcard decks, quizzes, notes, slide sets and flowcharts alongside them.

Where to start

Begin with a broad mind map. The Valvular heart disease map links aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation to causes such as calcification, congenital disease and rheumatic fever. It also lists symptoms such as angina, exercise-induced syncope and dyspnoea, plus signs such as a slow-rising pulse. The Rheumatic fever map follows the chain from streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract to autoantibodies and recurrent heart damage.

Next, move to coronary disease. The Ischemic Heart Disease map covers stenosis of more than 75%, plaque fissuring, haemorrhage, rupture and coronary thrombosis. The Atherosclerosis and Myocardial infarction maps fill in the risk factors and definitions.

Rhythm and ECGs

• The Cardiac Dysrhythmias flashcard deck goes through the causes of sinus bradycardia, sinus tachycardia, premature complexes and atrial fibrillation or flutter.
• The Atrial fibrillation management deck takes a stepwise approach, from confirming the diagnosis on ECG to the aims of treatment.
• The Cardiac Arrhythmias mind map separates supraventricular from ventricular rhythms.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then test yourself. The Clinical Cardiology Multiple Choice Questions quiz uses case stems, such as a patient with abrupt severe chest pain, syncope and different blood pressures in each arm. Other options include Cardiovascular USMLE Quiz 1 and Heart Sounds: An Overview. Note the questions you miss, then go back to the matching map or deck.

Make it your own

Teachers can set a map as pre-reading and a quiz as a check afterwards. Choose a topic that feels shaky today and work through one map, one deck and one quiz in turn.