Cardiac myxoma
Cardiac myxoma: A benign tumor of the heart and the most common type of heart tumor in adults. Cardiac myxomas can appear in an isolated case or in families, sometimes as part of an hereditary syndrome called the Carney complex. Some families have the Carney complex variant as well as the trismus-pseudocamptodactyly syndrome (Hecht syndrome). A mutation in the perinatal myosin heavy chain causes this Carney complex variant, suggesting that mutated contractile proteins play a role in the development of cardiac myxomas.
Read Also:
- Cardiac output
Cardiac output: The amount of blood the heart pumps through the circulatory system in a minute. The amount of blood put out by the left ventricle of the heart in one contraction is called the stroke volume. The stroke volume and the heart rate determine the cardiac output. A normal adult has a cardiac output […]
- Cardiac rehabilitation
Cardiac rehabilitation: A program for people with heart disease designed to reduce future heart risks. Cardiac rehabilitation usually consists of nutritional counseling; management of lipid levels, hypertension, weight, and diabetes; smoking cessation; psychosocial interventions; physical activity counseling; and exercise training. Cardiac rehabilitation reduces the risks of subsequent heart attacks and death from other causes. Cardiac […]
- Cardiac septum
Cardiac septum: The dividing wall between the right and left sides of the heart. That portion of the septum that separates the two upper chambers (the right and left atria) of the heart is termed the atrial (or interatrial) septum; the portion that lies between the two lower chambers (the right and left ventricles) of […]
- Cardiac stress testing, exercise
The exercise cardiac stress testing (EST) is the most widely used cardiac (heart) screening test. The patient exercises on a treadmill according to a standardized protocol, with progressive increases in the speed and elevation of the treadmill (typically changing at three-minute intervals). During the exercise cardiac stress testing (EST), the patient’s electrocardiogram (EKG), heart rate, […]
- Cardiac tamponade
Cardiac tamponade: A life-threatening situation in which there is such a large amount of fluid (usually blood) inside the pericardial sac around the heart that it interferes with the performance of the heart. If cardiac tamponade is left untreated, the result is dangerously low blood pressure, shock, and death. The excess fluid in the pericardial […]