The adjective cardiac , which can also be written and pronounced with the accentuation cardiac , comes from the Latin word cardiăcus , which in turn derives from the Greek kardiakós . The concept refers to that linked to the heart .
To understand what the idea of cardiac refers to, therefore, we must be clear about what the heart is. It is a muscular organ present in all vertebrate animals and in some invertebrates, whose function is to pump blood to different parts of the body.
In the case of humans , the heart is located in a space known as the thoracic cavity . The organ is divided into four cavities: the lower two are called ventricles (the left ventricle and the right ventricle), while the upper two are called atria (the left atrium and the right atrium). The veins that enter the right atrium are called cardiac veins .
These cardiac veins are the superior vena cava (which collects blood from the head, neck, upper extremities, and rib cage) and the inferior vena cava (carries blood from the pelvis, abdomen, and lower extremities). Both veins are responsible for transporting poorly oxygenated blood.
Cardiac output is the volume of blood that the heart pumps in a certain time unit. Heart problems , on the other hand, are ailments and disorders of the heart. By extension, it is usually said that a person is "cardiac" when they suffer some type of problem in this organ.
A heart attack , on the other hand, is a heart attack: necrosis of the heart, resulting from a blockage in the coronary arteries. Heart attack can cause cardiac arrest and death .
The condition that exists when the heart is not capable of pumping blood adequately to the needs of the metabolism is known as heart failure , that is, it cannot supply the body with the required volumes, or it manages to do so but only cost of abnormally raising the pressure in the ventricles.
There is a series of activities and care that specialists recommend that patients with heart failure carry out every day in order to avoid decompensation. It is very important to note that the work of doctors is not absolute, but requires the collaboration of their patients to obtain the best results.
Let's look at some of these tips below:
* control weight : heart failure patients should weigh themselves daily, as soon as they get up in the morning and after urinating. As far as possible, it is indicated that you do not change scales so that the values maintain the greatest degree of consistency. Thanks to this habit it is possible to quickly notice if the body is accumulating fluids;
* take your blood pressure : this can be done at any time of the day. Since nowadays it is normal to have an automatic device at home, which makes this task very easy. Note that the measurement should not be done after having exerted effort, since the figures may rise above normal until the body returns to a state of rest ;
* measure heart rate : the same device used to take blood pressure returns the heart rate value, so these two activities can be done at the same time. Of course, it is always possible to resort to the "traditional method", which consists of placing a finger on the area of the wrist located at the beginning of the thumb and measuring the heartbeats with a watch.