The stethoscope is a necessary element to listen to and analyze noises coming from inside the body, such as heartbeats.
Heart is a term that is frequently applied in numerous areas since it has multiple meanings and interpretations. This word is constantly mentioned, for example, in the field of medicine since this concept is used to identify the key organ of the human body whose mission is to deliver blood to the entire organism.
If we focus on card games , however, it will come to light that one of the varieties included in the French deck is the drawing of a red heart . It is also a figure (and a notion) that is associated with romanticism and falling in love (which is why, on countless occasions, hearts are designed with arrows or complemented with the image of Cupid ). Furthermore, as a word and illustrative resource it is very present in art: hearts are drawn and painted, just as this same expression is manifested in titles of plays, films, novels, books and songs.
The heart in science
The heart is very present in science and is the reason for thousands of findings, investigations and experiments. Health professionals who follow the specialty known as cardiology are capable of, and are in charge of, evaluating, diagnosing and providing treatment to patients who present some cardiovascular pathology.
Scientific work and technological advances have made it possible to improve the quality of life and give chances of survival to those who suffer from diseases or have an episode that threatens or seriously damages the heart .
Perform electrocardiograms and Doppler echocardiograms , listen to the heart sound through a stethoscope , measure blood pressure and order blood tests (routine studies specifically include a complete blood count that provides data of interest on platelets , blood clotting , red blood cells and white blood cells ) are essential practices when analyzing and determining someone's cardiovascular status. It is also customary to request the development of a stress test known as ergometry .
When faced with a heart problem, treatments based on cardiovascular medications are exhausted or it is not possible to correct an anomaly or problem with treatments, cardiac surgery is performed.
Myocardial infarction, heart failure, and angina are some of the conditions that cardiologists often see.
It is necessary to exalt, in this framework, the figure of René Favaloro , an Argentine doctor who revolutionized cardiology by developing coronary bypass . This technique, one of the most relevant developments or inventions of all time, has been saving millions of lives. This procedure based on "a bridge" to join the healthy portion of the coronary artery with the aorta aims to guarantee myocardial revascularization by allowing blood to move over the diseased section of the artery and circulate well.
From the hand of the American Charles Theodore Dotter and his collaborator Melvin P. Judkins , on the other hand, came angioplasty , an endovascular practice whose purpose is to dilate a stenotic vein or artery to recover blood flow that, due to an injury or other problems, it has become clogged.
Cardiac anatomy and physiology
In order to know well what the heart is like, how it works and what are the recommendations to keep it in good condition, it is essential to educate yourself about cardiac anatomy and physiology .
First of all, you have to become familiar with concepts and words that identify structures, functioning and other aspects linked to this organ made up of muscle tissue that is located in the thoracic cavity and is responsible for pumping blood to every corner of the body.
On both the right side and the left side, for example, there are ventricles . They are cavities to which blood comes from the atria which, in turn, receive it from the so-called blood vessels . The heart valves , classified as aortic , mitral , pulmonary and tricuspid , are also essential.
Nor can it be overlooked that the heart , from where blood comes out and distributes nutrients and oxygen through a circuit or route known as blood circulation , is surrounded by the pericardium .
Learning about what and how the heart rate is, to add more details, will lead to learning about heart rate (if it is slow at rest, it is classified as bradycardia and if it is accelerated, it is recognized as tachycardia ).
To know how the electrical activity of the heart develops, it is necessary to perform an electrocardiogram.
Heart pathologies
On a global scale, unfortunately, millions of human beings of different ages and nationalities suffer from heart pathologies . Currently there are several resources and tools available to detect many of them early, treat them and resolve them successfully, even in extreme cases that require replacing or repairing valves or carrying out a heart transplant : hence the need and value of campaigns in favor of organ donation to raise awareness among the population.
Although there are risk factors such as obesity , tobacco addiction, stress , diabetes and high blood pressure (a condition characterized by high blood pressure values) that can trigger cardiovascular damage and many other health problems, no one is exempt. of having an ailment linked to the heart .
Of course, the chances of having compromised heart health are reduced by adopting a healthy lifestyle , carrying out periodic medical check-ups and giving the body sufficient rest (the ideal is to have a deep and restful sleep of at least seven daily). hours). Dedicating time to physical exercise on a regular basis and implementing a healthy diet on a daily basis are also allies of both physical and mental well-being.