British Heart Foundation

The ECG/EKG When most people think of heart tests, they think of the ECG. ECG stands for electrocardiogram. It's also called an EKG, from the German elektrokardiogram. Although it may look like an ECG is recording heartbeats, it's not. In fact, it records the electrical activity (the electrical triggers, if you will) that presage the actual heartbeat. The mechanical beats follow the electrical triggers by about a tenth of a second -- unless, of course, there's a problem. Or to state it in…

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…

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 critical window period adds to the challenge.…

EFFECTIVE COMPRESSION THERAPY: Perfect for pre and post workouts, as well as rehabilitation, the sequential compression pump effectively increases circulation to reduce swelling and leg pain, venous edema, lymphedema, post-thrombotic syndrome, peripheral arterial disease, diabetes and other conditions.Gentle air compression therapy improves blood circulation and enhances the pressure of muscular tissues to relieve sore muscles. EASY TO SETUP AND USE: Lightweight and portable, the leg…

A degenerative or idiopathic disease is characterized by the deterioration and loss of functions of internal organs and cells. An example of this disease would be Laminitis, which is a painful, and potentially crippling disease that can be fatal to horses. A horse may have to be humanely euthanized if the effects of the disease have become so serious that it is inhumane to continue to attempt further treatment. Laminitis can affect any of the feet but is more commonly seen in the front feet. Any…

aren’t for everyone. Talk to your doctor before starting a routine that includes jumping jacks, especially if you have joint pain or instability. Warm-Up Jumping jacks are an ideal warm-up exercise. Five minutes of this exercise will increase your heart rate and get blood flowing to all your major muscle groups. The extra blood flow raises your body and muscle temperature, which gets your body ready for more vigorous exercise. When combined with stretches,…

Weight training has become a very popular sport among people of all ages and genders. Whether a person is young or old, male or female, staying in shape is a vital part of living a healthy life. People all over the world have started getting healthier to increase lifespan and overall well being. So, how could something that has such good effects be dangerous? Weight lifting can be dangerous in many ways. One way is consistency. If you take extensive breaks from a heavy-lifting program for…

Coronary heart disease, one of the most pervasive disease, has influenced more than million individuals around the globe. It has brought biomedical engineers and scientists closer to develop devices like defibrillators and artificial hearts that may alleviate patients’ pain. As the number of patients suffering from heart diseases increase, the need for donor hearts increases as well. In 1995, 4000 patients waited for donor hearts and 731 of them died waiting (ijates.com). Artificial hearts…

Tacrolimus toxicity mimicking Progressive Multifocal Leucoencaphalopathy in renal transplant patient ABSTRACT: Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive drug prescribed to many transplant patients. It has many common side effects include shaking, headache, diarrhea, constipation, nausea/vomiting (N/V), stomach upset, loss of appetite, insomnia, tingling and swelling of the extremities. In kidney transplant patients, 30% or more side effects are infection, HTN, abnormal renal function, constipation,…

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…