#diseases of the heart

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Ibn Taymiyyah💛💛💛💛

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What is cardiology?

Cardiology is the study of the heart and treatment of the disorders relating to the heart. It is involved with the cardiovascular system (heart, blood, blood vessels). A cardiologist is someone who studies and treats the heart, but does not perform surgery or do major hands-on work with hearts. They often diagnose possible conditions, perform tests, and do less invasive procedures (See below). A cardiac surgeon does surgeries relating to the heart and they are more invasive with opening the chest cavity and working on the heart directly. 

Some signs of heart issues that may make you need to see a cardiologist include: shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pains, abnormal heart rhythm or pace, high blood pressure.

Most times, you are going to see a cardiologist first and fully, not interacting with a cardiac surgeon unless you really need surgery from blockages, heart failure, or have heart valve issues. You might see a surgeon once, then return to the care of a cardiologist. A subsection of cardiology are congenital heart doctors who work with heart defects from work, but the usual cardiologist deals with issues as people age and external factors. A cardiac surgeon will monitor you after surgery, then return you back to your cardiologist and you must have a diagnosis from a cardiologist to get surgery. 

Parts of the heart

What is the heart?

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood through the circulatory system to carry oxygen and nutrients around the body to keep it functioning. It works with your blood vessels as a path of giving blood. 

Parts

There are 4 chambers to the heart (sections) that are controlled by electrical impulses (nutrients, neuro signals, and chemical reactions triggering responses in order to keep the muscle pumping). There are also walls, valves, and blood vessels.

Heart walls- they squeeze and relax in order to send blood through your system and there are 3 layers. There is also a wall in the inside of your heart to separate the right and left sides.

Endocardium- inner layer

Myocardium- middle muscular

Epicardium- protective outer

There is also a protective sac that is called the pericardium that covers your heart to keep it safe. It also self lubricates to prevent your heart from rubbing against your other organs and wearing its walls down. 

Chambers- they are the internal parts of your heart that are divided into 4 sections to pass blood through successfully.

Right atrium- this is the start where oxygen deprived blood enters your heart through two larger veins. This is the upper right chamber. 

Right ventricle- this section pumps the deprived blood to your lungs through your pulmonary artery where your blood is refilled with oxygen. It is the lower right chamber.

Left atrium- this gets the blood from the pulmonary artery, then pumps the fresh blood to your left ventricle. This is the upper left chamber.

Left ventricle- it pumps your blood back into the blood vessels and veins to the rest of your body. It goes to the valves first. 

Heart valves- They open and close to let blood in and out of your heart. They are usually on top of your heart or out of sight. You have internal heart valves (Atrioventricular) and external heart valves (Semilunar).

Atrioventricular

Tricuspid- between right atrium and left ventricle

Mitral- left atrium and left ventricle

Semilunar 

Aortic- open from the left ventricle and carries blood to the artery that has oxygen rich blood

Pulmonary- carries oxygen deprived blood and opens from the right ventricle

Blood vessels- there are 3 types and they all carry blood through your body

Arteries- carry oxygen rich blood from your heart to your other body parts

Left coronary- divides into 2 branches of artery near your heart

Circumflex artery- supplies blood to the left atrium along with side and back of left ventricle

Left anterior descending artery (LAD)- gives blood to the front and bottom of left ventricle and front of septum. 

Right coronary artery- supplies blood to right atrium and ventricle and bottom portion of the left

Veins- carry oxygen poor blood to your heart

Caparillies- tiny and exchange oxygen rich blood and oxygen poor blood

Heart attack vs Cardiac Arrest

Basic definitions

Heart attack: a blocked flow of blood causes the heart to suffocate (clogging, slow)

Cardiac arrest: when the heart malfunctions and stops suddenly (rhythms, electrical impulses, etc.)

Heart attacks in depth

Occurs when an artery is blocked, not allowing oxygen rich blood through and effectively suffocating your heart (and it’s tissues)

Slow and dull

The heart usually does NOT stop beating during a heart attack, but it panics and the rhythm can go wack. It only stops when cardiac arrest happens and the electrical impulses get too weak

You can have many small heart attacks or infarctions, making small parts of your heart tissue to die before a bigger one happens that stops your heart fully

The longer without treatment, the worse the damage

Symptoms (DIFFERENT IN AFAB AND AMAB PEOPLE):

Chest pain (dull, pressure, tightness, squeezing)

Discomfort in shoulders, arms, tummy, chest

Fatigue

Heartburn

Cold sweat

Dizziness

Short of breath

Cardiac arrest in depth

Sudden and no warnings

Caused by electrical malfunctions in your muscles that disrupts the rhythm of your heart pumping

It makes the person go unconscious and makes the heart still entirely, just collecting blood, but not pumping it to the lungs and slowly suffocating the whole body

This happens a lot AFTER heart attack recovery and heart attacks increase this risk

Other diseases and terms

Heart disease- any disease or condition relating specifically to the heart

Cardiovascular disease- conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels

Atrial fibrillation (afib)- irregular impulses to your atrium (improper rhythm) 

Arrhythmia- any heartbeat that is irregular, no consistency, too fast or too slow

Cardiomyopathy- unusual stiffness or thickening in the heart muscle

Congestive heart failure- when the heart muscle is too weak or stiff to pump blood

Coronary heart disease- plaque build up in the narrow arteries (clogged arteries)

Often leads to infarctions or heart attacks

Pericarditis- inflammation in your heart’s lining

Surgeries relating to the heart

Less invasive (can be done by a cardiologist)

Angioplasty- this opens clogged arteries by using a balloon like tool to widen the space

This is often combined with heart stenting that uses a tiny mesh tool to KEEP the space open with medications as well. This just widens the space, but does not remove the plaque like a surgeon would do

This is used during heart attacks to allow blood flow and to decrease the amount of damage down

Inserting a pacemaker- this is when a device is inserted into your chest and connects to your heart through wires to control your heartbeat or rhythm.

Single chamber- carries electrical impulses to the right ventricle

Dual chamber- carries electrical impulses to right atrium and right ventricle to control the timing of contractions

Biventricular- carries and controls electrical impulses to the left and right ventricles of the heart

Heart catheterizations- when a small, flexible tube is guided through blood vessels to diagnose or treat conditions. It is basically used as a look inside tool.

X Rays and other scanners- to look inside the chest without opening it. This is for the heart, lungs, and bones.

Ambulatory monitors- they are monitors that the patient can take home and is used to track arrhythmias outside of medical settings.

Stress tests- these are used in medical settings to see how your heart reacts when it works the hardest. You are taken vitals before, during, and after the “stress” period (running on a treadmill for example)

These are often for heart disease or coronary issues

EKG- taking vitals over your heart to track its beats and can show if you’ve had a heart attack and keeps things monitored.

More invasive (done by cardiac surgeons)

Coronary artery blockage removal- this is when your arteries are so clogged up with plaque that it prevents blood from flowing through effectively. This often leads to heart attacks and this surgery is often done when a heart attack or high risk is detected.

Heart valve issues: the surgeon can go in and work on your heart values/your chambers in order to make sure the blood flows in the right direction and your heart still works. This is either repairing or replacing.

Stenosis- when the valve flaps become stiff and possibly fuse together. This reduces blood flow as the passage is narrow

Prolapse- makes the blood flow backwards

Aortic aneurysm- the weakening of the aorta to the point it bursts and stops the blood flow entirely as the blood spreads to the rest of the body in not needed areas.  

Abdominal- when it ruptures below the chest and it caused by hardened arteries 

Thoracic- in the chest and caused by high blood pressure or injury

Some heart failure related issues, but that is discussed with a cardiologist first.

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[reasonsforhope]

"In a highly-anticipated world-first, the Texas Heart Institute has successfully implanted an artificial titanium heart that uses the same technology as bullet trains to pump blood mechanically throughout the body.

Called the Total Artificial Heart (TAH), the feat is seen as a major step in keeping people alive for longer and longer periods while they wait for heart transplants.

Texas Heart partnered with the medical tech company BiVACOR to create the TAH. It’s a titanium-constructed biventricular rotary blood pump with a single moving part that utilizes a magnetically levitated rotor that pumps the blood and replaces both ventricles of a failing heart.

The benefit of using magnetic levitation is that none of the moving parts ever scrape or slide against each other, reducing friction, and dramatically increasing the longevity of the device. But what’s really cool is the TAH can pump blood at a rate of 12 liters per minute, enough to allow an adult male to engage in exercise.

The first-in-human clinical study, overseen closely by the FDA, aims to evaluate the safety and performance of the BiVACOR TAH as a bridge-to-transplant solution for patients with severe bi or univentricular heart failure. Following this first implantation completed at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center, four additional patients are to be enrolled in the study.

“The Texas Heart Institute is enthused about the groundbreaking first implantation of BiVACOR’s TAH. With heart failure remaining a leading cause of mortality globally, the BiVACOR TAH offers a beacon of hope for countless patients awaiting a heart transplant,” said Dr. Joseph Rogers, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Texas Heart Institute and National Principal Investigator on the research.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of this medical breakthrough, working alongside the dedicated teams at BiVACOR, Baylor College of Medicine, and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center to transform the future of heart failure therapy for this vulnerable population.”

Heart failure is a global epidemic affecting at least 26 million people worldwide, 6.2 million adults in the US, and is increasing in prevalence. Heart transplantations are reserved for those with severe heart failure and are limited to fewer than 6,000 procedures per year globally. Consequently, the US National Institutes of Health estimated that up to 100,000 patients could immediately benefit from mechanical alternatives.

The successful implantation of BiVACOR’s TAH highlights the potential of innovative technologies to address critical challenges in cardiac care, such as long transplantation waitlists.

“This achievement would not have been possible without the courage of our first patient and their family, the dedication of our team, and our expert collaborators at The Texas Heart Institute,” said Daniel Timms, founder and CTO of BiVACOR."

-Article via Good News Network, August 1, 2024. Video via 7News Australia, July 26, 2024.

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Your hand holding my breast and your head on my chest...

You listen to every heartbeat while watching my breast bouncing in your hand...

You feel how my heart begins to beat stronger and my breathing accelerates...

With your free arm you surround my back and press my chest against your ear.

The stimulant and the pressure on my heart take effect and my heartbeat becomes faster and erratic...

Your hand presses on my left breast and your head in the center...

I can barely hold my breath... Tachy runs and slamming random heartbeats and then I feel like my heart is losing control..

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One last squeeze with both hands as you rise and place just your ear gently on my breast and listen attentively as my heart reacts

You release the pressure from your arms and my heartbeat is now a strong and painfull slap as it returns to normal...

I can feel every contraction of my heart muscle and you can hear it push the blood...

After a while it recovers its rhythm but it becomes too sensitive and a single touch agitates it...

You can continue playing with it for a while.

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GIF by literatigifs

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