A heart monitor, also known as an EKG, ECG or electrocardiogram, displays the electrical activity of the heart. Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are required to undergo many hours of training in EKG interpretation prior to using an...
Primary heart cancer is exceedingly rare. The incidence of all heart tumors is only 0.28 percent with only 23 percent of those tumors being malignant cancers, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Benign tumors are...
Potassium is an essential mineral that can be found in many foods, including bananas, avocados, lima beans, potatoes, flounder, chicken, salmon, cod and other meats. If your potassium levels get too low, you can develop a condition known as...
Some of the compounds present in your food, such as potassium, can play a significant role in the way your body works. Potassium is important for the function of many different cells, and if you do not eat enough potassium or your potassium levels...
Low potassium levels could well be the cause of those leg cramps. Potassium is a mineral found in our bodies. Working alone or with other minerals and electrolytes, it performs many vital functions. Potassium is found in high amounts within our...
Adding strength training and aerobic exercise improves the outcome of low-carb diets. Current recommendations by the leading low-carb diet systems--including Adkins, South Beach and Zone--emphasize the need to include regular exercise and strength...
Your body uses potassium to perform various functions. Potassium is necessary in moderating your muscles and nerves as well as your metabolism. Your body also uses potassium to regulate electrochemical processes. Potassium levels need to remain...
The heart is an amazing organ, beating an average of 100,000 times per day to pump blood throughout the body. The precise timing and contraction of the heart is mainly due to an electrical pathway starting from the top chambers of the heart...
Complete, or third degree, heart block is a condition whereby no electrical signals from the top part of the heart, the atria, reach the bottom chambers of the heart, the ventricles. Thus, the ventricles must generate their own electrical...
Potassium is necessary for the proper function of cells, nerves and muscles. A potassium deficiency, also referred to as hypokalemia, is caused by many factors including certain medications, diarrhea, eating disorders, sweating, vomiting and...
Electrical activity in nerve and muscle cells occurs because of the flow of ions--electrically-charged particles--between the inside and outside of the cell membrane. Electricity is vital to the functioning of the brain, nerves and muscles,...
A high heart rate in adults is generally over about 90 to 100 beats per minute, but depends on the circumstances. For example, a high heart rate in a healthy person during exercise is normal. A high heart rate at rest may be indicative of a...
According to Kahan, Miller and Smith in "In a Page Signs & Symptoms," hypocalcemia is common within hospitals due to hemodialysis, or the intravenous manual removal of wastes from the blood. This reduces plasma calcium levels, resulting in...
Anxiety is a ubiquitous experience. When severe, it can indicate a psychiatric problem. Various medical conditions can cause anxiety. Before concluding that anxiety stems from psychological problems, a physician should assess the patient to rule...
Hyperkalemia means high blood potassium, a condition that has a number of causes and adverse effects on your body. The most immediately dangerous effect is on your heart. High potassium can cause your heart to beat abnormally, and even interfere...
Angina is a heart condition caused by changes in the vessels of the heart, rendering it unable to respond to the blood demands of muscles during exercise. This causes uncomfortable pain until physical activity ceases.
Hyperkalemia is a serious condition that is caused by excess amounts of the mineral potassium in the bloodstream. Left untreated, hyperkalemia can lead to permanent damage and even death from changes in heart rhythm. Although hyperkalemia is a...
A hyperkalemia arrhythmia is a serious medical condition in which increased levels of blood potassium cause abnormal heart activity. Symptoms can be seen on an ECG and this condition is fatal if left untreated. The Mayo Clinic explains that under...
Your heart beats in a characteristic normal rhythm defined and identified by cardio-pulmonary function tests such as an electrocardiogram or ECG. Clinically identified abnormal heart rhythms, known as arrhythmias or abnormal electrical activity...
Heart rate is controlled by electrical impulses sent throughout the heart muscle. Disruption to the electrical conduction system can alter the rate at which the heart beats. Tachycardia and bradycardia are abnormal heart rates.
Plaque in the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, is a medical condition in which cholesterol (a fatty substance floating in your blood) builds up and forms plaque in your blood vessels. This decreases blood flow in your body and can lead to...
Rett Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects girls exclusively, is usually first noticed when your child is six to 18 months of age. The so-called early onset stage of Rett syndrome can be marked by signs and symptoms that include a...
The heart can be described as the muscle pump of the body. A congenital heart problem can arise when there is abnormal heart development that happens in utero, before birth. The American Heart Association (AHA) states that annually approximately...
Drug overdose occurs when an amount of drug in excess of the recommended dose is ingested. Overdose can be intentional, but it can also happen accidentally as a result of other drug and/or alcohol interactions. Overdosing on Lexapro, a drug for...
The blood consists of cells and a fluid portion containing proteins and electrically charged minerals known as electrolytes. One such electrolyte is calcium. As with the other electrolytes, the levels of calcium in the blood are restricted to a...
One of the available treatments for depression is escitalopram, which is sold under the brand name of Cipralex. This medication belongs to the family of drugs known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, which block the reabsorption of...
The electrocardiogram is the most basic tool in a cardiologists diagnostic arsenal. Also referred to as an EKG, the electrocardiogram traces electrical impulses that cause contractions of the heart muscle, known as the myocardium. In a joint...
An ECG treadmill test, also called a stress test, checks for changes in heart function during physical stress. ECG treadmill tests are typically performed in a testing lab and take about 60 to 70 minutes to complete. The results, which are usually...
Tachycardia is the medical term for a very rapid heartbeat. Mothers who have special medical conditions, such as thyroid disease or diabetes, may give birth to newborns who are temporarily tachycardic from altered hormone and glucose levels....
