Study for the PANCE Cardiology Test. Enhance your knowledge with comprehensive flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question comes with hints and detailed explanations. Prepare thoroughly for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a congenital heart disease?

Understanding whether a heart condition is congenital means recognizing abnormalities that are present at birth due to how the heart develops. An atrial septal defect is a prime example: it’s a hole in the wall between the atria that exists from birth, causing a left-to-right shunt. Many people with ASD may not have symptoms early on, but on exam you can see a fixed split of the second heart sound and sometimes a systolic murmur at the left upper sternal border. Over time this can lead to enlargement of the right heart and, if unrepaired, complications like paradoxical emboli or eventually Eisenmenger syndrome. The other options describe conditions or treatments that are not congenital heart diseases. Prinzmetal’s angina is chest pain from coronary vasospasm, occurring in adults. Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis is an infection of the heart valves or endocardium, typically acquired. MONA therapy is a treatment approach for acute myocardial infarction, not a congenital structural defect.

Understanding whether a heart condition is congenital means recognizing abnormalities that are present at birth due to how the heart develops. An atrial septal defect is a prime example: it’s a hole in the wall between the atria that exists from birth, causing a left-to-right shunt. Many people with ASD may not have symptoms early on, but on exam you can see a fixed split of the second heart sound and sometimes a systolic murmur at the left upper sternal border. Over time this can lead to enlargement of the right heart and, if unrepaired, complications like paradoxical emboli or eventually Eisenmenger syndrome.

The other options describe conditions or treatments that are not congenital heart diseases. Prinzmetal’s angina is chest pain from coronary vasospasm, occurring in adults. Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis is an infection of the heart valves or endocardium, typically acquired. MONA therapy is a treatment approach for acute myocardial infarction, not a congenital structural defect.