Free Cardiac/Vascular Nurse Exam Secrets Study Guide by Mometrix Media

that occur in both patients with the disease as well as in the general population.
     

Atrial septal defect
     
    Atrial septal defect is a congenital birth defect that involves an abnormality of the atrial chambers of the heart, which causes them not to close appropriately. Smaller defects may close on their own during infancy, toddler years, or early childhood. However, larger defects may cause problems later in life damaging the heart, lung, or other organ systems.
     
    The disease is relatively uncommon and typically difficult to diagnose due to lack of symptoms. The risk of congenital heart disease in the general population is less than 1%. In children of parents with congenital heart disease, the risk of atrial septal defects increases to between 2% and 20%. The condition occurs equally in men and women as well as in race or ethnic descent.
     

Causes and risk factors
    Atrial septal defect is a genetic condition that is congenital. It occurs during fetal circulation, which leads to the formation of a shunt, either left to right shunt or right to left shunt, depending on the nature of the condition. It can occur in combination with other genetic conditions such as Down syndrome. It can occur due to genetic inheritance or mutations during pregnancy or birth.
     
    The following conditions during pregnancy may increase the risk of an offspring having a congenital heart defect such as atrial septal defects including rubella infection, poorly controlled diabetes, and illicit drug and/or alcohol abuse.
     

Symptoms
    Individuals may present with few or no symptoms, making diagnosis rather difficult. However, symptoms may begin to present in infancy through childhood. Yet, some individuals may not present with symptoms until later in life due to presence of other comorbid conditions or progression of the defect. Individuals with small or minor defects may present with no symptoms or present with symptoms later in life.
     
    Symptoms associated with atrial septal defect include frequent respiratory infections in children, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath with activity, fatigue, swelling of legs, feet, or abdomen, and heart palpitations in adults.
     

Diagnosis and screening
    Physical examination and diagnostic tools are used to diagnose atrial septal defect, but diagnosis is difficult in patients who present with few or no symptoms. Practicing clinicians typically use a stethoscope to determine the presence of abnormal heart sounds. Murmur is a quiet ejection murmur heard at the left upper sternal border often with a split second heart sound. Murmur is not usually heard until after 1 year of age. Other diagnostic tools used to determine atrial septal defect include chest x-ray, echocardiography, Doppler ultrasound, transesophageal echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, pulse oximetry, and electrocardiogram. A more invasive approach such as cardiac catheterization may also be used.
     
    Patients experiencing poor appetite, failure to gain weight, bluish discoloration of skin, shortness of breath, easy tiring, swelling of legs, abdomen or abdomen, and heart palpitations should seek medical attention.
     

Types of thromboembolism
     
    The types of thromboembolism include pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. Pulmonary embolism is a condition that involves the blockage of arteries supplying the lungs. Typically, pulmonary embolism occurs due to the traveling of a blood clot to the lungs from another organ system. Deep venous thrombosis is a condition that involves the formation of blood clots in the veins deep within the body (usually the legs), which can dislodge and embolize into other organ systems such as the lungs, heart and brain. Of note, the superficial femoral vein in the leg is considered a “deep” vein.
     
    In the United States, pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis occur in approximately 2.5% to 5% of adults.
     

Pulmonary embolism
     
    Pulmonary embolism is a condition that involves