Basilar artery

The uptake of oxygen into muscles is what facilitates muscle contraction. Oxygen that is obtained through breathing by the lungs is transported to the rest of the body, as well as the heart by means of haemoglobin. The rate of liberation of oxygen from haemoglobin has an effect on the quantity of oxygen available in the muscles for a muscle contraction to ensue. The higher the oxygen concentration in the muscle the greater the force of muscle contraction. Temperature has an effect on the…

Severe pain of sudden onset could be caused by a dissecting aneurysm in the aorta. Distal dissection presents as interscapular pain whilst proximal dissection causes anterior chest pain. Likewise, a spontaneous pneumothorax may result in sudden severe pain and dyspnoea. Patient’s may describe a sudden intense pain followed by less intense sharp pain that is localised to one side of the chest. Chest wall and pleuritic pain increases with inspiration and is localised to a small area. Pain is…

Australians relishes fairly high levels of health compared to many other countries. Statistics reveal that Australia has a moderately long-life expectancy, declining mortality rates and reasonable access to health care. We measure health status through the process of data and information collection known as epidemiology, which is the study of disease in groups or populations to identify patterns and trends. The measurement of epidemiology includes life expectancy, mortality, morbidity and infant…

Footstrike Hemolysis Footstrike hemolysis happens when red blood cells in the foot break down faster than usual. This is usually due to repeated contact between the foot and the ground. This condition often happens to long-distance runners. It can also happen to other athletes, including dancers and hikers. This condition may also be called march hemoglobinuria. This condition may cause part of the red blood cells (hemoglobin) to appear in the urine, making the urine red (hematuria). In most…

Polycythemia Vera Polycythemia vera (PV) is a form of blood cancer. Another name for this type of disease is myeloproliferative disease. This means your bone marrow produces too many red blood cells. Bone marrow is the spongy center of long bones where blood cells are produced. If you have PV, your bone marrow may also make too many white blood cells and clotting cells (platelets). Almost all people with PV have an abnormal gene (genetic mutation) that causes changes in the way the bone…

Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is also known as Diastolic Heart Failure, this “is characterized by restrictive filling and reduced diastolic volume of either [one] or both ventricles with normal or near normal systolic function and wall thickness.” There are many types of Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive cardiomyopathy is the least common type. The tell-tale sign of RCM is diastolic dysfunction. Diastolic dysfunction is when the heart does not fill up correctly, either too slowly or too quickly.…

The heart is one of the strongest muscles in the human body. It is mostly made up of cardiac muscle, which causes the contractions of the heart, or heartbeat. The cardiac muscle works constantly to pump blood throughout the body and is one of the three major types of muscle. The cells in the heart are closely connected so that they all beat at the same time, and they form the thick middle layer of the heart, in between the outer epicardium and the inner endocardium layers. There are two main…

Primary Angioplasty – A Life-saving Procedure Primary angioplasty is a term used to describe an angioplasty done as a life-saving emergency procedure in a patient with an on-going heart attack [PAMI - Primary Angioplasty in acute Myocardial Infarction]. The international accepted door to balloon time intervention is within 90 minutes and 3 to 6 hours from the onset of heart attack for PAMI. Doing angioplasty in a critical patient of heart attack is in itself challenging and doing so in the…

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and is one of the leading causes of disability. Just like everything else in our body, our brain is fed by blood through arteries. And just as high blood pressure can damages the arteries of our heart, it can damages the arteries leading to our brain. If the arteries to our brain are only partially blocked, you can experience a transient ischemic attack- kind of like mini stroke. Its a brief, temporary disruption of blood to your brain caused…

Introduction Sepsis is a serious infection of the blood or tissues that affects the whole body. Septic shock is the final, most serious stage of this infection. It is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment. What are the causes? Septic shock is caused by a drop in blood pressure. The drop keeps your organs from getting enough oxygen, causing them to fail. What increases the risk? You are more likely to develop this condition if: You are very young or elderly. You have AIDS or…