Congenital heart defects arise in the fetal stage in life when the development of the heart and/or great blood vessels is disrupted in some manner. This leads to a structural abnormality in the heart or vessels which depending on the type and extent may case mild to severe symptoms or can even be life threatening. The >> Read More ...
The terms congenital and acquired are frequently used in medicine to describe a disorder, disease or defect that is either present from birth (congenital) or develops during the course of life (acquired). Congenital defects stem from fetal development but is often only obvious after birth once the baby’s body has to >> Read More ...
The heart is a muscular pump with its own electrical system to keep it functioning independently. Electrical impulses are generated in the sinoatrial node (SA node) in the atrial wall, passes directly to the muscles of the atria, is delayed in the atrioventricular node (AV node) and then transmitted to the muscles of the >> Read More ...
The heart has a complex electrical system which regulates the contraction and relaxation of its muscular wall. This enables the heart to function by receiving blood during relaxation and pumping it out with force to the lungs and other parts of the body. The rhythm of the heart beat is controlled by a natural pacemaker >> Read More ...
The heart is a muscular pump that fills with blood when the muscle relaxes (diastole) and forces blood out during contraction (systole). The heart sounds are normally a ‘lub dub’ sound when heard with the aid of a stethoscope. It is a result of the closing or snapping back of the heart valves and the flow of >> Read More ...
The blood vessels of the body are the conduits for blood to travel to and from the heart. Arteries carry oxygen rich blood from the heart to various tissues while veins return it to the heart so that it can be routed to the lungs for oxygenation. Blood vessels are prone to many of the same diseases that affect any other >> Read More ...
Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts against the walls of the vessels it travels through it. Arterial pressure, that is the pressure within arteries which are the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrient-rich blood through the body, and it is higher than venous pressure (pressure in the veins). There are >> Read More ...
The brain, like every part of the human body, derives its oxygen and nutrients through the the blood that reaches it. This blood is pumped from the heart and travels by way of blood vessels, specifically arteries, to the brain. Waste substances and carbon dioxide are removed from the brain by veins. Although the brain >> Read More ...
Blood is contained within the cardiovascular system – the heart and blood vessels – with additional amounts stored in the liver and spleen. The quantity of blood in the human body is approximately 5.5 liters. When bleeding, up to 20% of this total blood volume can be lost without a person being at risk provided >> Read More ...
Pericardial effusion is an accumulation of excessive fluid in the space surrounding the heart (pericardial space). It can result from a wide variety of causes and may be present in association with almost all types of pericardial diseases. It is usually seen in inflammatory or infective conditions of the pericardium >> Read More ...
