Posts Tagged ‘cardiovascular’
Myocarditis
Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle. This muscle is the middle layer of the heart, formally called the myocardium, hence the name myocarditis (the -itis suffix indicates inflammation). Inflammation of the myocardium can be caused by a variety of etiologies, from infection to drugs. If severe enough, inflammation can lead to necrosis and…
Read MorePatent Ductus Arteriosis
he ductus arteriosus (DA) is a structure that allows blood pumped from the right side of the heart to bypass the lungs while the fetus is developing in utero. Normally, the DA closes shortly after birth and becomes the ligamentum arteriosum. When the DA fails to close (remains open, or patent) after birth, it is…
Read MoreMitral Stenosis
Mitral stenosis (MS) is narrowing of the mitral valve. In the normal cardiac cycle, the heart relaxes during diastole and allows blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle through the open mitral valve. When the mitral valve is narrowed, blood flow becomes restricted (Figure 1). Excess volume and pressure build up…
Read MoreAnatomy of the Heart
The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist. It pumps blood throughout the body, commanding a vast vascular network to deliver oxygen to every cell in the body. It beats nonstop for as long as we are alive, at an average of 80/min. So by the time we are 80 years…
Read MoreInfective Endocarditis
In this AudioBrick, we explore one of the valvular heart diseases from the Cardiovascular collection: infective endocarditis. Infective endocarditis is an infection of the endocardium, or the inner layer of the heart and valves. Infective endocarditis begins with some type of injury to the endocardium, most commonly the valvular surface. Such injuries may stem from…
Read MoreAtrial Septal Defect
In this episode, we head to the Congenital Heart Defects section of the Cardiovascular collection of Rx Bricks to learn about Atrial Septal Defect. Learning Objectives Define atrial septal defect (ASD). List the types of ASD and explain the mechanism underlying each type. Describe the clinical presentation and diagnostic test results for an infant with…
Read MoreHeart Failure
In this episode of the Rx Bricks Podcast, we explore one of the cornerstones of the cardiovascular collection: Heart Failure. Here are the learning objectives we’ll be covering: 1. Define heart failure. 2. Describe the four functional classes of heart failure. 3. List and briefly describe the most common diseases causing heart failure, identifying ischemic…
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