Heart disease

sound suggestive of structural heart abnormalities. Question: What is an echocardiogram and how is it used diagnostically? Generate: Echocardiography is a modality that uses sound waves to visualize the structures of the heart. In general, a transducer emits high-pitched ultrasound waves (4-30 MHz) which bounce off different parts of the heart; the echoed sound waves are then used to generate a moving image.1 Three modes are utilized in the imaging of the heart: two-dimensional (2D) imaging,…

pains that progressively got worse before her heart attack. This pain was described as if someone was putting pressure on her chest and it radiated down to her arms. Additionally, she felt as if she was struggling to breathe, nauseated, weak and sweating. This fits with the diagnosis of coronary artery disease that is the source of developing chronic stable angina and can induce a myocardial infraction like she already had because those with this disease often experience “sub sternal chest pains…

On its webpage “Lifestyle Changes for Heart Failure”, the American Heart Association states:” Small changes may reduce symptoms, and give you time for what matters most” (American Heart Association [AHA], 2017b). It advocates for several behavior changes, with the content being mirrored in a presentation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), about “Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Heart Failure Care” (Kinsinger, 2014). Given that this…

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a disease of the heart and blood vessels, is a major cause of death and morbidity that impacts over 100,000 adults (over age of 65) worldwide (Lee et al., 2015). Lee et al.’s (2012) research supports the theory that persons with low HL will have more difficulty following a self-management regimen geared towards improving overall health outcomes than those with HL. Individuals with CVD require extensive self-care management, including the ability to read and…

for exertion. this is known as adrenaline. Adrenaline is produced and released from the adrenal glands and its major action, together with noradrenaline, is to prepare the body for fight or flight modes. Adrenaline targets various organs, mainly the Heart, Blood vessels, Smooth muscles, the eye, skeletal muscles, central nervous system and the metabolic actions. Adrenaline or epinephrine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter produced by the adrenal glands that tacks part in the sympathetic nervous…

body’s connective tissue. Connective tissue holds the body together and plays a role in its growth and development. This disorder can affect many parts of the body since connective tissue is found all over the body. Bones, joints, eye, skin, lungs, the heart and blood vessels are few of the body parts Marfan syndrome affects. Marfan syndrome is caused by a mutation in a gene called the fibrillin gene. This mutation affects the way the body produce a protein which helps give connective tissue…

TERMINOLOGY CLINICAL CLARIFICATION 1 • Life-threatening condition characterized by the inability of the pulmonary system to meet the metabolic demands of the body with respect to oxygenation of the blood and systemic organs and/or CO2 elimination • May be accompanied by ventilatory failure 7 • Develops within minutes or hours as opposed to chronic respiratory failure that develops over several days, weeks or years CLASSIFICATION 2, 1 • Classification is mainly based on arterial blood gas (ABG)…

Steroids Steroids have many bad effects on the human body. Steroids can harm all your major muscles including your heart and brain. They can also shorten your lifespan by five years or more, even if you only take them for 9 months (this is why doctors only prescribe them for a maximum of six months at a time). Steroids can be prescribed by doctors for many diseases such as osteoporosis, asthma, and lung problems. Side effects for steroids include, but are not limited to acne, cushing’s…

extreme internal bleeding in the abdomen. Nandrolone can also decrease HDL, which is good cholesterol, and increase LDL which is the bad. Since the ratio for LDL will be higher than HDL, this will increase the risk of arteriosclerosis and other heart diseases. Wild mood swings may also occur which is commonly known as “steroid rage”. Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland and it is used to increase growth in children and adolescents. This hormone is widely found in a number of…

pioneer in the medical field as he completed the first ever heart transplant. This man who grew up in rural Karoo and whose father was a minister managed to do the first successful heart transplant in 1967. Tim Marcus’s interest in cardiology developed when he delivered a baby that soon died of an incurable heart disease. While studying his postgraduate in The United States, he met Norman Shumway, a future fellow surgeon for the heart transplant and Richard Lower who did a majority of the…