The Human Heart

The right side of the heart collects oxygen-depleted blood and pumps the blood into the lungs so that carbon dioxide can be dropped off and fresh oxygen picked up. The left side of the heart collects the freshly-oxygenated blood and pumps it out to the body.

The role of the heart is to pump oxygen-rich blood to every living cell in the body. In order to achieve its goal, it must continuously beat for a person’s entire lifespan. Because of its vital role, a non-beating heart always results in death. The human heart beats approximately 80,000 to 100,000 a day and pumps almost 2,000 gallons of blood. This means that in a person’s life lasting 70 to 90 years, the heart beats approximately two to three billion times and pumps 50 to 65 million gallons of blood. Because the heart is so essential for human sustenance, it is made up of a muscle different from skeletal muscle that allows it to constantly beat.

Systole: Stage when the ventricles of heart are contracting resulting in blood being pumped out to the lungs and the rest of the body.

• Thick, muscular walls of both ventricles contract.
• Pressure rises in both ventricles, causing the bicuspid and tricuspid valves to close. Therefore, blood is forced up the aorta and the pulmonary artery.
• The atria relax during this time. The left atrium receives blood from the pulmonary vein, and the right atrium from the vena cava.

• Thick, muscular walls of both ventricles relax.
• Pressure in both ventricles falls low enough for bicuspid valves to open.
• The atria contract, and blood is forced into the ventricles, expanding them.
• The blood pressure in the aorta is decreased, therefore the semi-lunar valves close.

• Arrhythmia
• High cholesterol
• Congenital heart disease (heart defects)
• Diabetes
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• High blood pressure
• Metabolic syndrome
• Obesity
• Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
• Stroke

Commonly known as a heart attack, myocardial infarction occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart is interrupted. Heart attacks are most often caused by the blockage if a coronary artery following the rupture of a plaque that had formed on the artery wall. If left untreated, the restriction in blood supply, known as ischemia, can cause the heart tissue to become damaged or even die.

• Chest pain (typically down the left arm or left side of the neck, and often described as a sensation of tightness, pressure, or squeezing)
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Palpitations
• Sweating
• Anxiety

• Shortness of breath
• Weakness
• Feeling of indigestion
• Fatigue

* Begin by ensuring that the patient’s airway is open. Lift his chin with one hand, and with the other tilt his head backwards. This would open up the airway, relieving it of any obstruction caused by the tongue or epiglottis.

• If you smoke, quit. Smoking more than doubles the chance of developing heart disease.
• Keep blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes in good control and follow your doctor's orders.
• Lose weight if obese or overweight.
• Get regular exercise to improve heart health. (Talk to your doctor before starting any new fitness program.)
• Eat a heart-healthy diet. Limit saturated fats, red meat, and sugars. Increase your intake of chicken, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Your health care provider can help you tailor a diet specific to your needs.
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. One drink a day is associated with reducing the rate of heart attacks, but two or more drinks a day can damage the heart and cause other medical problems.

• The plaque can develop cracks or tears. Blood platelets stick to these tears and form a blood clot. A heart attack can occur if this blood clot completely blocks oxygen-rich blood from flowing to the heart. This is the most common cause of heart attacks.
• The slow buildup of plaque may almost block one of your coronary arteries. A heart attack may occur if not enough oxygen-rich blood can flow through this blockage. This is more likely to happen when your body is stressed (for example, by a serious illness).

• When you are resting or asleep
• After a sudden increase in physical activity
• When you are active outside in cold weather
• After sudden, severe emotional or physical stress, including an illness

• DO NOT try to drive yourself to the hospital.
• DO NOT DELAY. You are at greatest risk of sudden death in the early hours of a heart attack.

Chest pain is the most common symptom of a heart attack. You may feel the pain in only one part of your body, or it may move from your chest to your arms, shoulder, neck, teeth, jaw, belly area, or back.

The pain can be severe or mild. It can feel like:

• A tight band around the chest
• Bad indigestion
• Something heavy sitting on your chest
• Squeezing or heavy pressure

The pain usually lasts longer than 20 minutes. Rest and a medicine called nitroglycerin may not completely relieve the pain of a heart attack. Symptoms may also go away and come back.

Other symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Anxiety
• Cough
• Fainting
• Light-headedness, dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating too fast or irregularly)
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating, which may be very heavy

Some people (the elderly, people with diabetes, and women) may have little or no chest pain. Or, they may have unusual symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness). A "silent heart attack" is a heart attack with no symptoms.

 Exams and Tests

A doctor or nurse will perform a physical exam and listen to your chest using a stethoscope.

• The doctor may hear abnormal sounds in your lungs (called crackles), a heart murmur, or other abnormal sounds.
• You may have a rapid pulse.
• Your blood pressure may be normal, high, or low.

A troponin blood test can show if you have heart tissue damage. This test can confirm that you are having a heart attack.

Coronary angiography is often done right away or when you are more stable. You may also have tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG).

electrocardiogram (ECG)

• This test uses a special dye and x-rays to see how blood flows through your heart.
• It can help your doctor decide which treatments you need next.

Echocardiography  

                                                                                                                       

Other tests to look at your heart that may be done while you are in the hospital:

• Echocardiography
• Exercise stress test
• Nuclear stress test

Treatment

You will most likely first be treated in the emergency room.

• You will be hooked up to a heart monitor, so the health care team can look at how your heart is beating.
• The health care team will give you oxygen so that your heart doesn't have to work as hard.
• An intravenous line (IV) will be placed into one of your veins. Medicines and fluids pass through this IV.
• You may get nitroglycerin and morphine to help reduce chest pain.

Abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) are the leading cause of death in the first few hours of a heart attack. These arrythmias may be treated with medications or cardioversion.

Emergency Treatments

Angioplasty is a procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. Usually a small, metal mesh tube called a stent is placed at the same time.

• Angioplasty is often the first choice of treatment. It should be done within 90 minutes after you get to the hospital, and no later than 12 hours after a heart attack.

Open Heart Surgery

A stent is a small, metal mesh tube that opens up (expands) inside a coronary artery. A stent is often placed after angioplasty. It helps prevent the artery from closing up again.

You may be given drugs to break up the clot. It is best if these drugs are given within 3 hours of when you first felt the chest pain. This is called thrombolytic therapy.

Some patients may also have heart bypass surgery to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. This procedure is also called open heart surgery.

Living A Healthy Lifestyle

To prevent another heart attack:

• Keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol under control.

• Don't smoke.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in animal fat.
• Participate in regular Physical activity.
• Go for regular health check ups.
• Use other supplement as folic acid and garlic under supervision.
• Try to reduce fat, not more 30 calories should come from fat a day
• Get plenty of exercise, at least 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week (talk to your doctor first).
• Get checked and treated for depression.
• Limit yourself to no more than one drink a day for women, and no more than two drinks a day for men.
• Stay at a healthy weight.

Food that will strengthen heart:

Coconut, eggs, Amla, dry fruits, cardomom(elaichi), cinnamon, honey, black grape juice, pomegranate juice, turmeric in food, cloves, garlic, dry ginger, coriander seeds, cow milk (talk to your doctor first).

Home Remedies for Heart Patients:

• Boil dry ginger in water and make thick syrup. Consume this syrup twice a day after food to reduce heart pain, to reduce cholestrol, indigestion, stomache ache and cough.
• Collect lotus seeds from lake and make powder. Take 5gms of this powder with 1 spoon honey to strengthen heart and reduce asthma and also hiccups.
• Dry ginger 20 gms powder and boil in 300 ml water till it boils down to 100 ml and then drink it every morning on empty stomach
• Amla (indian gooseberry) powder 100gm and candy sugar 100 gms. Mix them and store. Twice a day after food have 5 gms of this powder
• Mix cow milk with cooked brown rice and have during nights instead of yogurt or curd
• Never have cold water or any cold beverage or wash face with cold water after sex or dinner or after coming into home from hot sun

                 

SAVE YOUR HEART AND SAVE YOUR DREAMS

Live smiling, Live Healthy