Pulse
This "natural pacemaker" located in the right atrium initiates the electrical impulse for each heartbeat.
What is the SA (Sinoatrial) Node?
This is the specific chamber of the heart measured during a standard EF test to determine systemic blood flow.
What is the Left Ventricle?
This condition, often called a "silent killer," involves chronically high force of blood against artery walls.
What is Hypertension?
This is the clinical term for a "heart attack," occurring when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked.
What is a Myocardial Infarction?
This device is surgically implanted to send electrical pulses to the heart to keep it beating at a proper rate.
What is a Pacemaker?
A resting heart rate consistently exceeding 100 beats per minute is known by this clinical term.
What is Tachycardia?
While 100% is impossible, this percentage range is considered a "normal" or healthy Ejection Fraction.
What is 55% to 70%?
This common arrhythmia involves disorganized electrical activity in the upper chambers, greatly increasing the risk of stroke.
What is Atrial Fibrillation (Afib)?
An imbalance of this specific electrolyte, often found in bananas, can lead to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.
What is Potassium?
This procedure uses a balloon-tipped catheter to widen a narrowed coronary artery.
What is Angioplasty?
In an EKG, this specific wave represents the electrical impulse traveling through the atria, causing them to contract.
What is the P-wave?
This non-invasive imaging test is the most common tool used to calculate a patient’s Ejection Fraction.
What is an Echocardiogram?
This narrowing of the valve between the left ventricle and the main artery of the body can lead to chest pain and fainting.
What is Aortic Stenosis?
This "imbalance" occurs when the heart’s demand for oxygen exceeds the supply, often causing chest pain known as angina.
What is Ischemia?
In this surgery, a healthy vessel from the leg or chest is used to create a new route for blood to bypass a blockage.
What is a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)?
This "nerve," the tenth cranial nerve, acts as the braking system for the heart, slowing the pulse through parasympathetic tone.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
This type of heart failure occurs when the EF is normal, but the heart muscle is too stiff to fill properly with blood.
What is Diastolic Heart Failure (or HFpEF)?
This specific type of cardiomyopathy results in a "boggy," enlarged heart that cannot contract effectively.
What is Dilated Cardiomyopathy?
This life-threatening injury occurs when fluid builds up in the pericardial sac, compressing the heart and preventing it from filling.
What is Cardiac Tamponade?
This emergency procedure uses high-energy electrical shock to "reset" the heart during ventricular fibrillation.
What is Defibrillation?
This term describes the natural variation in time between consecutive heartbeats, often used as a marker for autonomic nervous system health.
What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?
In physics terms, EF is calculated by dividing the "Stroke Volume" by this specific volume at the end of the filling phase.
What is End-Diastolic Volume (EDV)?
This rare inflammatory condition of the heart muscle is often caused by a viral infection rather than artery blockage.
What is Myocarditis?
Often seen in athletes, this "injury" is actually a maladaptive thickening of the septum that can obstruct blood flow.
What is Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM)?
This minimally invasive procedure allows doctors to replace the aortic valve via a catheter through the groin.
What is TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement)?