Heart and Heart Diseases

Heart

2008-04-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Heart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Gray's Anatomy.

The heart is a muscular organ, in all vertebrates responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in annelids, mollusks, and arthropods. The term cardiac (as in cardiology) means "related to the heart" and comes from the Greek καρδία, kardia, for "heart."

The heart of a vertebrate is composed of cardiac muscle, an involuntary muscle tissue which is found only within this organ. The average human heart beating at 72 BPM, will beat approximately 2.5 billion times during a lifetime spanning 66 years.

Early development

At 21 days after conception, the human heart begins beating at 70 to 80 beats per minute and accelerates linearly for the first month of beating.

It is unknown how blood in the embryo circulates for the first 21 days in the absence of a functioning heart, although some have hypothesized that the heart is not so much a pump, as a Hydraulic Ram -- an organ built-up from cumulative peripheral activity. [1]

When the human embryonic heart begins beating -- around 21 days after conception, or five weeks after the last normal menstrual period (LMP), which is the date normally used to date pregnancy. The human heart begins beating at a rate near the mother’s, about 75-80 beats per minute (BPM). The embryonic heart rate (EHR) then accelerates linearly for the first month of beating, peaking at 165-185 BPM during the early 7th week, (early 9th week after the LMP). This acceleration is approximately 3.3 BPM per day, or about 10 BPM every three days, an increase of 100 BPM in the first month.[1]

After peaking at about 9.2 weeks after the LMP, it decelerates to about 152 BPM (+/-25 BPM) during the 15th week after the LMP. After the 15th week the deceleration slows reaching an average rate of about 145 (+/-25 BPM) BPM at term. The regression formula which describes this acceleration before the embryo reaches 25 mm in crown-rump length or 9.2 LMP weeks is Age in days = EHR(0.3)+6

There is no difference in male and female heart rates before birth.[2]

Structure

Human heart removed from a 64-year-old male.
In the human body, the heart is usually situated in the middle of the thorax with the largest part of the heart slightly offset to the left (although sometimes it is on the right, see dextrocardia), underneath the breastbone (see diagrams). The heart is usually felt to be on the left side because the left heart (left ventricle) is stronger (it pumps to all body parts). The left lung is smaller than the right lung because the heart occupies more of the left hemithorax. The heart is enclosed by a sac known as the pericardium and is surrounded by the lungs. The pericardium comprises two parts: the fibrous pericardium, made of dense fibrous connective tissue; and a double membrane structure containing a serous fluid to reduce friction during heart contractions (the serous pericardium). The mediastinum, a subdivision of the thoracic cavity, is the name of the heart cavity.
The apex is the blunt point situated in an inferior (pointing down and left) direction. A stethoscope can be placed directly over the apex so that the beats can be counted. It is located posterior to the 5th intercostal space in the left mid-clavicular line. In normal adults, the mass of the heart is 250-350 g (9-12 oz), or about three quarters the size of a clenched fist, but extremely diseased hearts can be up to 1000 g (2 lb) in mass due to hypertrophy. It consists of four chambers, the two upper atria (singular: atrium ) and the two lower ventricles.

Functioning
The function of the right side of the heart (see Right Heart ) is to collect de-oxygenated blood, in the right atrium, from the body and pump it, via the right ventricle, into the lungs (pulmonary circulation) so that carbon dioxide can be dropped off and oxygen picked up (gas exchange). This happens through the passive process of diffusion. The left side (see left heart) collects oxygenated blood from the lungs into the left atrium. From the left atrium the blood moves to the left ventricle which pumps it out to the body. On both sides, the lower ventricles are thicker and stronger than the upper atria. The muscle wall surrounding the left ventricle is thicker than the wall surrounding the right ventricle due to the higher force needed to pump the blood through the systemic circulation.

Starting in the right atrium, the blood flows through the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle. Here it is pumped out the pulmonary semilunar valve and travels through the pulmonary artery to the lungs. From there, blood flows back through the pulmonary vein to the left atrium. It then travels through the mitral valve to the left ventricle, from where it is pumped through the aortic semilunar valve to the aorta. The aorta forks, and the blood is divided between major arteries which supply the upper and lower body. The blood travels in the arteries to the smaller arterioles, then finally to the tiny capillaries which feed each cell. The (relatively) deoxygenated blood then travels to the venules, which coalesce into veins, then to the inferior and superior venae cavae and finally back to the right atrium where the process began.

The heart is effectively a syncytium, a meshwork of cardiac muscle cells interconnected by contiguous cytoplasmic bridges. This relates to electrical stimulation of one cell spreading to neighboring cells.

First aid

Heart

The heart is one of the critical organs of an animal's body, as it pumps oxygenated blood to feed the body's biological functions. The cessation of the heartbeat, referred to as cardiac arrest, is a critical emergency. Without intervention, death can occur within minutes of cardiac arrest since the brain requires a continuous supply of oxygen and cannot survive for long if that supply is cut off.

If a person is encountered in cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be started and help called. Use of a defibrillator is preferred, if available, to attempt to restore a normal heartbeat; many public areas have portable defibrillators available for such emergencies. Usually, if there is enough time, the person can be rushed to the hospital where he or she will be cared for by a cardiologist, a doctor who specializes in the heart and lungs.
Electrical innervation of the heart in health is supplied by two closely intertwined mechanisms. The first mechanism is well demonstrated in electrical coil systole (interpreted by the electrocardiogram as QRS)as an individualized myocardial electrical tree initiated by the sinoatrial node. Secondary diastolic electrical control is posited to represent autonomic recoil control from the vagus nerve and cardiac branches and the thoracic ganglia.

See also

References

^ OBGYN.net "Embryonic Heart Rates Compared in Assisted and Non-Assisted Pregnancies"
^ Terry J. DuBose http://www.obgyn.net/english/pubs/features/dubose/ehr-age.htm Sex, Heart Rate and Age]

External links

Look up Heart inWiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Heart
Heart contraction and blood flow (animation)
eMedicine: Surgical anatomy of the heart
Very Comprehensive Heart Site
Self Improvement Wednesday - ABC 702 Drive audio
The circulatory system
The position of the heart
Interactive 3D heart This realistic heart can be rotated, and all its components can be studied from any angle.
Heart care How to take care of your heart.
BioArtificialHearts.com Information about bioartificial hearts.

v • d • e Anatomy of torso, cardiovascular system: heart
Structures
atria (interatrial septum, musculi pectinati) • ventricles (interventricular septum, trabeculae carneae, chordae tendinae, papillary muscle) • valves • cusps
Regions
base • apex • grooves (coronary/atrioventricular, interatrial, anterior interventricula, posterior interventricular) • surfaces (sternocostal, diaphragmatic) • borders (right, left)
Right heart
(vena cavae, coronary sinus) → right atrium (auricle, fossa ovalis, limbus of fossa ovalis, crista terminalis, valve of the inferior vena cava, valve of the coronary sinus) → tricuspid valve → right ventricle (conus arteriosus, moderator band/septomarginal trabecula) → pulmonary valve → (pulmonary artery and pulmonary circulation)
Left heart
(pulmonary veins) → left atrium (auricle) → mitral valve → left ventricle → aortic valve (aortic sinus) → (aorta and systemic circulation)
Layers
pericardium: fibrous pericardium • serous pericardium (pericardial cavity, epicardium/visceral layer) • pericardial sinus myocardium • endocardium • cardiac skeleton (fibrous trigone, fibrous rings)
Conduction system
Cardiac pacemaker • SA node • AV node• bundle of His • Purkinje fibers

v • d • e Cardiovascular system
Systemic circulation
Heart → Aorta → Arteries → Arterioles → Capillaries → Venules → Veins → Vena cava → Heart
Pulmonary circulation
Heart → Pulmonary arteries → Lungs → Pulmonary vein → Heart
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart"
Categories: Cardiovascular system Thorax Organs
Hidden category: Semi-protected

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Heart and Heart Diseases

2008-04-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Heart disease
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of different diseases affecting the heart. As of 2007, it is the leading cause of death in the United States,[1][2] England, Canada and Wales,[3] killing one person every 34 seconds in the United States alone.[4]

Types of heart disease

Coronary heart disease
Main article: Coronary heart disease
Over 525,600 Americans die of coronary heart disease every year.[5]
Coronary artery disease is a disease of the artery caused by the accumulation of scozopanologisthmistous plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply the scozopanitics. Angina pectoris and of my scuzletips infarction (scuzle in the heart) are symptoms of and conditions caused by coronary heart disease.

Cardiomyopathy
Main article: Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy literally means "heart muscle disease" (Myo= muscle, pathy= disease) It is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium (i.e., the actual heart muscle) for any reason. People with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrhythmia and/or sudden cardiac death.
Extrinsic cardiomyopathies - cardiomyopathies where the primary pathology is outside the myocardium itself. Most cardiomyopathies are extrinsic, because by far the most common cause of a cardiomyopathy is ischemia. The World Health Organization calls these specific cardiomyopathies[citation needed]:
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Coronary artery disease
Congenital heart disease - see below
Nutritional diseases affecting the heart
Ischemic (or ischaemic) cardiomyopathy
Hypertensive cardiomyopathy
Valvular cardiomyopathy - see also Valvular heart disease below
Inflammatory cardiomyopathy - see also Inflammatory heart disease below
Cardiomyopathy secondary to a systemic metabolic disease
Intrinsic cardiomyopathies - weakness in the muscle of the heart that is not due to an identifiable external cause.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) - most common form, and one of the leading indications for heart transplantation. In DCM the heart (especially the left ventricle) is enlarged and the pumping function is diminished.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM or HOCM) - genetic disorder caused by various mutations in genes encoding sarcomeric proteins. In HCM the heart muscle is thickened, which can obstruct blood flow and prevent the heart from functioning properly.
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) - arises from an electrical disturbance of the heart in which heart muscle is replaced by fibrous scar tissue. The right ventricle is generally most affected.
Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) - least common cardiomyopathy. The walls of the ventricles are stiff, but may not be thickened, and resist the normal filling of the heart with blood. ** Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy - the left ventricle wall has failed to properly grow from birth and such has a spongy appearance when viewed during an echocardiogram.

Cardiovascular disease
Main article: Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is any of a number of specific diseases that affect the heart itself and/or the blood vessel system, especially the veins and arteries leading to and from the heart. Research on disease dimorphism suggests that women who suffer with cardiovascular disease usually suffer from forms that affect the blood vessels while men usually suffer from forms that affect the heart muscle itself. Known or associated causes of cardiovascular disease include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperhomocysteinemia and hypercholesterolemia.
Types of cardiovascular disease include:
Atherosclerosis

Ischaemic heart disease
Ischaemic heart disease - another disease of the heart itself, characterized by reduced blood supply to the organ.

Heart failure
Main article: Heart failure
Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure (or CHF), and congestive cardiac failure (CCF), is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body.
Cor pulmonale, a failure of the right side of the heart.

Hypertensive heart disease
Main article: Hypertensive heart disease
Hypertensive heart disease is heart disease caused by high blood pressure, especially localised high blood pressure. Conditions that can be caused by hypertensive heart disease include:
Left ventricular hypertrophy
Coronary heart disease
(Congestive) heart failure
Hypertensive cardiomyopathy
Cardiac arrhythmias

Inflammatory heart disease
Inflammatory heart disease involves inflammation of the heart muscle and/or the tissue surrounding it.
Endocarditis - inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. The most common structures involved are the heart valves.
Inflammatory cardiomegaly's
Myocarditis - inflammation of the myocardium, the muscular part of the heart. It is generally due to infection (viral or bacterial). It may present with chest pain, rapid signs of heart failure, or sudden death.

Valvular heart disease
Main article: Valvular heart disease
Valvular heart disease is any disease process involving one or more valves of the heart. The valves in the right side of the heart are the tricuspid valve and the pulmonic valve. The valves in the left side of the heart are the mitral valve and the aortic valve.
Aortic valve stenosis
Mitral valve prolapse
Valvular cardiomyopathy

See also
Aneurysm
Aortic aneurysm
Diet and heart disease
Endothelium-derived relaxing factor
High blood pressure (Hypertension)
Thrombosis

References
^ Division of Vital Statistics; Arialdi M. Miniño, M.P.H., Melonie P. Heron, Ph.D., Sherry L. Murphy, B.S., Kenneth D. Kochanek, M.A. (2007-08-21). "Deaths: Final data for 2004" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports 55 (19): 7. United States: Center for Disease Control. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
^ White House News, American Heart Month, 2007, <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070201-2.html>. Retrieved on 16 July 2007
^ National Statistics Press Release 25th May 2006
^ Hitti, Miranda. "Heart Disease Kills Every 34 Seconds in U.S.", Fox News - WebMD, 2004-12-07. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
^ American Heart Association: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2008 Update. AHA, Dallas, Texas, 2008

External links
Find more about Heart disease on Wikipedia's sister projects:

Dictionary definitions

Textbooks

Quotations

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Images and media

News stories

Learning resources
VIDEO - Heart Disease in the Female Population: Prevalence, Presentation and Pathophysiology, Mary Zasadil, MD, speaks at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (2007)
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada - Information Resource on Heart Disease
British Heart Foundation
VIDEO - What is Heart Disease?

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Cardiovascular Disease

2008-04-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Cardiovascular Disease
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Classification and external resources
ICD-10
I 51.6
ICD-9
429.2
DiseasesDB
28808
MeSH
D002318

Cardiovascular disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system, it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis (arterial disease). These conditions have similar causes, mechanisms, and treatments. In practice, cardiovascular disease is treated by cardiologists, thoracic surgeons, vascular surgeons, neurologists, and interventional radiologists, depending on the organ system that is being treated. There is considerable overlap in the specialties, and it is common for certain procedures to be performed by different types of specialists in the same hospital.
Most Western countries face high and increasing rates of cardiovascular disease. Each year, heart disease kills more Americans than cancer.[1] Diseases of the heart alone caused 30% of all deaths, with other diseases of the cardiovascular system causing substantial further death and disability. Up until the year 2005, it was the number 1 cause of death and disability in the United States and most European countries. A large histological study (PDAY) showed vascular injury accumulates from adolescence, making primary prevention efforts necessary from childhood.[2][3]

By the time that heart problems are detected, the underlying cause (atherosclerosis) is usually quite advanced, having progressed for decades. There is therefore increased emphasis on preventing atherosclerosis by modifying risk factors, such as healthy eating, exercise and avoidance of smoking.

Biomarkers
Some biomarkers are thought to offer a more detailed risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the clinical value of these biomarkers is questionable.[4] Currently, biomarkers which may reflect a higher risk of cardiovascular disease include:

Higher fibrinogen and PAI-1 blood concentrations
Elevated homocysteine, or even upper half of normal
Elevated blood levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine
High inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein
Elevated blood levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) [5]

Prevention
Attempts to prevent cardiovascular disease are more effective when they remove and prevent causes, and they often take the form of modifying risk factors. Some factors, such as gender, age, and family history, cannot be modified. Smoking cessation (or abstinence) is one of the most effective and easily modifiable changes. Regular cardiovascular exercise (aerobic exercise) complements the healthful eating habits. According to the American Heart Association, build up of plaque on the arteries (atherosclerosis), partly as a result of high cholesterol and fat diet, is a leading cause for cardiovascular diseases. The combination of healthy diet and exercise is a means to improve serum cholesterol levels and reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases; if not, a physician may prescribe "cholesterol-lowering" drugs, such as the statins. These medications have additional protective benefits aside from their lipoprotein profile improvement. Aspirin may also be prescribed, as it has been shown to decrease the clot formation that may lead to myocardial infarctions and strokes; it is routinely prescribed for patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors.

One possible way to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease is keep your total cholesterol below 150. In the Framingham Heart Study, those with total cholesterol below 150 only very rarely got coronary heart disease.

A magnesium deficiency, or lower levels of magnesium, can contribute to heart disease and a healthy diet that contains adequate magnesium may prevent heart disease.[6] Magnesium can be used to enhance long term treatment, so it may be effective in long term prevention.[7] Excess calcium may contribute to a buildup of calcium in the veins. Excess calcium can cause a magnesium deficiency, and magnesium can reduce excess calcium.

Foods for cardiovascular health
Research has shown that a diet that includes dark chocolate, almonds, fish, wine, fruits, vegetables, and garlic can increase life expectancy and decrease your risk for cardiovascular disease.[8]

Eating oily fish at least twice a week may help reduce the risk of sudden death and arrhythmias. A 2005 review of 97 clinical trials by Studer et al. noted that omega-3 fats gave lower risk ratios than did statins.[9] Olive oil is said to have benefits. Studies of individual heart cells showed that fatty acids blocked excessive sodium and calcium currents in the heart, which could otherwise cause dangerous, unpredictable changes in its rhythm.

Cardiovascular disease and salt
There is evidence from one large unblinded randomised controlled trial of more than 3000 patients that reducing the amount of sodium in the diet reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by more than 25%.[10] This re-affirms evidence from the Intersalt study published in 1988, that high levels of dietary salt are harmful;[11] these results were at the time heavily disputed by the Salt Institute (the salt producers' trade organisation).[12]

Awareness
Atherosclerosis is a process that develops over decades and is often silent until an acute event (heart attack) develops in later life. Population based studies in the youth show that the precursors of heart disease start in adolescence. The process of atherosclerosis evolves over decades, and begins as early as childhood. The Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth Study demonstrated that intimal lesions appear in all the aortas and more than half of the right coronary arteries of youths aged 15–19 years. However, most adolescents are more concerned about other risks such as HIV, accidents, and cancer than cardiovascular disease.[13] This is extremely important considering that 1 in 3 people will die from complications attributable to atherosclerosis. In order to stem the tide of cardiovascular disease, primary prevention is needed. Primary prevention starts with education and awareness that cardiovascular disease poses the greatest threat and measures to prevent or reverse this disease must be taken.

Treatment
Treatment of cardiovascular disease depends on the specific form of the disease in each patient, but effective treatment always includes preventive lifestyle changes discussed above. Medications, such as blood pressure reducing medications, aspirin and the statin cholesterol-lowering drugs may be helpful. In some circumstances, surgery or angioplasty may be warranted to reopen, repair, or replace damaged blood vessels.

Types of Cardiovascular Diseases

Research
The causes, prevention, and/or treatment of all forms of cardiovascular disease are active fields of biomedical research, with hundreds of scientific studies being published on a weekly basis.
A fairly recent emphasis is on the link between low-grade inflammation that hallmarks atherosclerosis and its possible interventions. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker that may be present in increased levels in the blood in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. Its exact role in predicting disease is the subject of debate.
Some areas currently being researched include possible links between infection with Chlamydophila pneumoniae and coronary artery disease. The Chlamydia link has become less plausible with the absence of improvement after antibiotic use.[14]

References

^ United States (1999). Chronic Disease Overview. United States Government. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
^ Rainwater DL, McMahan CA, Malcom GT, Scheer WD, Roheim PS, McGill HC Jr, Strong JP. Lipid and apolipoprotein predictors of atherosclerosis in youth: apolipoprotein concentrations do not materially improve prediction of arterial lesions in PDAY subjects. The PDAY Research Group. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999; 19: 753-61.
^ Mcgill, HC, Jr., Mcmahan, CA, Zieske, AW et al. Associations of coronary heart disease risk factors with the intermediate lesion of atherosclerosis in youth. The Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY) Research Group. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2000; 20: 1998–2004.
^ Wang TJ, Gona P, Larson MG, Tofler GH, Levy D, Newton-Cheh C, Jacques PF, Rifai N, Selhub J, Robins SJ, Benjamin EJ, D'Agostino RB, Vasan RS (2006). "Multiple biomarkers for the prediction of first major cardiovascular events and death". N. Engl. J. Med. 355 (25): 2631-9. PMID 17182988.
^ Ramachandran Vasan, et al. "{{{title}}}". N. Engl. J..
^ Lack Energy? Maybe It's Your Magnesium Level
^ Comparison of Mechanism and Functional Effects of Magnesium and Statin Pharmaceuticals Andrea Rosanoff, PhD, Mildred S. Seelig, MD. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 5, 501S–505S (2004)
^ Franco, O, Bonneux, L, de Laet. C, Steyerberg, E, Mackenbach, J (2004). "Franco, O, Bonneux, L, de Laet. C, Steyerberg, E, Mackenbach, J". BMJ. 329: 1447–1450.
^ Studer M, Briel M, Liemenstoll B, Blass TR, Bucher HC. "Effect of different antilipidemic agents and diets on mortality: a systematic review." Arch. Intern. Med. 2005; 165(7): 725-730.
^ Cook NR, Cutler JA, Obarzanek E, et al. (2007). "Long term effects of dietary sodium reduction on cardiovascular disease outcomes: observational follow-up of the trials of hypertension prevention (TOHP)". Br Med J. doi:10.1136/bmj.39147.604896.55.
^ Elliott P, Stamler J, Nichols R, et al. (1996). "Intersalt revisited: further analyses of 24 hour sodium excretion and blood pressure within and across populations. Intersalt Cooperative Research Group". Br Med J 312 (7041): 1249–53. PMID 8634612.
^ Godlee F (2007). "Editor's Choice: Time to talk salt". Br Med J 334 (7599). doi:10.1136/bmj.39196.679537.47.
^ Vanhecke TE, Miller WM, Franklin BA, Weber JE, McCullough PA. Awareness, knowledge, and perception of heart disease among adolescents. European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation. October, 2006; 13(5): 718-723. ISSN 1741-8267
^ Andraws R, Berger JS, Brown DL. Effects of antibiotic therapy on outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease. JAMA 2005;293:2641-7. PMID 15928286.

External links

American Heart Association "Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2006 Update". http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1140534985281Statsupdate06book.pdf
Cardiovascular Disease Foundation Your connection to prevention, research, and education.
Sister to Sister Information about Women's Heart Disease
NCP Cardiovascular Medicine A Journal Covering Clinical Cardiovascular Medicine
Cholesterol Content in Food
The lacking awareness of cardiovascular disease by youth A study by Dr Thomas E. Vanhecke, MD.
American Heart Association
World Health Organization cardiovascular disease site
Heart disease 'costing UK £29bn' at BBC News, 14 May 2006
Diet, Nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases (including cardiovascular diseases) by a Joint WHO/FAO Expert consultation (2003)
Total Cholesterol Distribution vs. CHD deaths
Drug Class Review on Beta Adrenergic Blockers Sep 2007

v • d • e Circulatory system pathology (I, 390-459)
Hypertension
Hypertensive heart disease - Hypertensive nephropathy - Secondary hypertension (Renovascular hypertension)
Ischaemic heart disease
Angina pectoris (Prinzmetal's angina) - Myocardial infarction (heart attack) - Dressler's syndrome
Pulmonary circulation
Pulmonary embolism - Cor pulmonale
Pericardium
Pericarditis - Pericardial effusion - Cardiac tamponade
Endocardium/heart valves
Endocarditis - mitral valve (regurgitation, prolapse, stenosis) - aortic valve (stenosis, insufficiency) - pulmonary valve (stenosis, insufficiency) - tricuspid valve (stenosis, insufficiency)
Myocardium
Myocarditis - Cardiomyopathy (Dilated cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Loeffler endocarditis, Restrictive cardiomyopathy) - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
Electrical conduction systemof the heart
Heart block: AV block (First degree, Second degree, Third degree) - Bundle branch block (Left, Right) - Bifascicular block - Trifascicular block Pre-excitation syndrome (Wolff-Parkinson-White, Lown-Ganong-Levine) - Long QT syndrome - Adams-Stokes syndrome - Cardiac arrest - Sudden cardiac death Arrhythmia: Paroxysmal tachycardia (Supraventricular, AV nodal reentrant, Ventricular) - Atrial flutter - Atrial fibrillation (Familial) - Ventricular fibrillation - Premature contraction (Atrial, Ventricular) - Ectopic pacemaker - Sick sinus syndrome
Other heart conditions
Heart failure - Cardiovascular disease - Cardiomegaly - Ventricular hypertrophy (Left, Right)
Cerebrovascular diseases
Stroke - Transient ischemic attack - Intracranial hemorrhage/cerebral hemorrhage: Extra-axial hemorrhage (Epidural hemorrhage, Subdural hemorrhage, Subarachnoid hemorrhage)Intra-axial hematoma (Intraventricular hemorrhages, Intraparenchymal hemorrhage) - Anterior spinal artery syndrome - Binswanger's disease - Moyamoya disease
Arteries, arteriolesand capillaries
Atherosclerosis (Renal artery stenosis) - Aortic dissection/Aortic aneurysm (Abdominal aortic aneurysm) - Aneurysm - Raynaud's phenomenon/Raynaud's disease - Buerger's disease - Vasculitis/Arteritis (Aortitis) - Intermittent claudication - Arteriovenous fistula - Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia - Spider angioma - Dissection (Carotid artery, Vertebral artery)
Veins, lymphatic vesselsand lymph nodes
Thrombosis/Phlebitis/Thrombophlebitis (Deep vein thrombosis, May-Thurner syndrome, Portal vein thrombosis, Venous thrombosis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, Renal vein thrombosis, Paget-Schroetter disease) - Varicose veins / Portacaval anastomosis (Hemorrhoid, Esophageal varices, Varicocele, Gastric varices, Caput medusae) - Superior vena cava syndrome - Lymph (Lymphadenitis, Lymphedema, Lymphangitis)
Other
Hypotension (Orthostatic hypotension) - Rheumatic fever
See also congenital (Q20-Q28, 745-747)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiovascular_disease"
Categories: Cardiovascular diseases Medical conditions related to obesity

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Right Heart

2008-04-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Right heart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anterior (frontal) view of the opened heart. White arrows indicate normal blood flow.
Right heart is a term used to refer collectively to the right atrium and right ventricle of the heart; occasionally, this term is intended to reference the right atrium, right ventricle, and the pulmonary trunk collectively.
The right atrium receives deoxygenated systemic blood from the superior and inferior vena cavae. The blood is then pumped through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, which in turn pumps the blood through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery.

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Right Atrium

2008-04-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Right atrium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Right atrium

Anterior (frontal) view of the opened heart. White arrows indicate normal blood flow.

Interior of right side of heart.
Latin
atrium dextrum
Gray's
subject #138 528
Artery
atrial branches of coronary arteries
MeSH
Right+Atrium
Dorlands/Elsevier
a_71/12167861

The right atrium (in older texts termed the "right auricle") is one of four chambers (two atria and two ventricles) in the human Heart . It receives de-oxygenated blood from the superior and inferior vena cavae and the coronary sinus, and pumps it into the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve.
The sinoatrial node (SAN) is located within this chamber next to the vena cava. This is a group of pacemaker cells which spontaneously depolarize to create an Action Potential. The cardiac action potential then spreads across both atria causing them to contract forcing the blood they hold into their corresponding ventricles.
In early life, when a fetus is in the womb, the right atrium has a hole within its septum through to the left atrium, this makes them continuous with each other which is essential for fetal circulation. This junction is called the “Foramen Ovale”. Once born (usually within 9 month's time) the Foreman Ovale seals over. This occurs when the first breath is taken; fetal blood flow is reversed and now travels through the lungs no longer requiring the Foramen Ovale. Therefore it closes and is renamed as the “Fossa Ovalis”. The Fossa Ovalis is seen as an embryonic remnant.
In some cases, the Formane Ovale fails to close and is present in 20% of the general population, however it does not cause problems in the vast majority. This is known as "Patent Foramen Ovale"
The right atrium also holds the coronary sinus which is the opening of the vein that drains the myocardium itself. Attached to the right atrium is the right auricular appendix.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_atrium"

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