The tricuspid valve sits between the right atrium and the right ventricle. Blood returning to the lungs for oxygenation must traverse the tricuspid valve on its way to the pulmonary artery. The right side of the heart is a low pressure system....
A teaching hospital is a medical care facility that doubles as an institution for higher learning. A teaching hospital commonly operates in cooperation with a system of health care providers that offer advanced clinical training to those seeking...
Pain above your left breast may be a sign of a serious underlying health problem or a minor one. That is why if you experience pain above your left breast following exercise you should seek medical attention. Timely medical intervention can...
It is very common for people to get palpitations. The term covers a myriad of conditions which can range from irregular or fast heartbeats to cardiac emergencies. As a practicing cardiologist, I hear patients from age 15-95 describe symptoms...
Acute loss of consciousness is often caused by simple problems with volume status and hydration. When a patient is dehydrated or ill from diarrhea or dehydration, loss of consciousness or blackouts can happen simply because the water content in...
Patent Foramen Ovale (known as PFO) is a remnant of embryologic development. A small flap located between the upper heart chambers allows the passage of the mother's oxygen-rich blood via the umbilical cord to the developing fetus. Since the lungs...
Life Line Screening is a company located in Independence, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The firm began performing cardiac and other types of ultrasound screening for preventative health purposes in 1993. To date, Life Line has screened more than 6...
Cardiac catheterization, also known as a coronary angiogram or cardiac cath, is considered an invasive imaging procedure. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a cardiac catheterization is used to determine coronary artery disease, valve disease or...
The most common genetic disorder, Down syndrome affects every 1 in 800 to 1000 births. The presence of an extra chromosome 21 causes Down syndrome. The chance of having an affected child increases as a women ages, though in most cases, the mother...
Fats and cholesterol, carried in the bloodstream, build up within the arterial walls, forming hardened, calcified plaque. Arterial hardening, also called atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis, is a condition that predisposes individuals to serious...
According to the Family Doctor website, neck pain may be caused by injury, stress, faulty posture or other health problems, such as degenerative conditions, fibromyalgia or disk herniations. One of the most common symptoms reported by neck pain...
The term "deconditioned heart" can indicate different degrees of disability. If you have a deconditioned heart, you could have a disorder ranging from stable heart disease to severe heart damage. The type of exercise that you can do for...
Blocked arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, affect millions of Americans. According to the Cardio Smart website, coronary artery disease -- blocked heart arteries -- is the No. 1 cause of death among Americans. Blocked arteries often cause...
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is an amazing hormone that can signal the wondrous start of pregnancy or warn of the growth of a dangerous tumor. HCG can be detected in either blood or urine. Pharmaceutical preparations of hCG have been misused...
Therapeutic ultrasound is a modality commonly used by physical therapists. Ultrasound therapy works by driving sound waves into the tissue to help alleviate pain, inflammation and muscles spasms while increasing range of motion. Therapeutic...
Ultrasound treatments send vibrations to the cells of the body while converting electrical energy into ultrasonic waves, according to the journal Rehab Management. This complicated and often misunderstood process can be very healthy for...
Therapeutic ultrasound for rehabilitation of soft tissue has become a physical therapy protocol. All physical therapy offices have ultrasound equipment and licensed ultrasound technicians who are on staff or on call. Many physical therapists...
A fetal, or pregnancy, ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of your baby, your uterus and the placenta. Ultrasound can determine pregnancy, detect potential problems with a pregnancy or the baby and provide estimated...
Four heart valves direct blood flow through the four chambers of the heart. On the right side of the heart, the tricuspid valve keeps blood flowing in the right direction between the atrium, the upper chamber, and ventricle, the lower chamber. The...
Heart failure is the inability of your heart to pump enough blood to meet the needs of your body to function normally. One of the tests performed to determine if the amount of blood pumped per minute is adequate is defined as cardiac output....
