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 rehabilitation is safe and beneficial when patients are evaluated and selected for it. Contraindications for cardiac rehabilitation include unstable angina, serious arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, previous cardiac arrest during exercise, and extremely low activity level.
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- 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 […]
- Cardiac ventricle
Cardiac ventricle: One of the two lower chambers of the heart. The right ventricle is the chamber that receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it into the lungs via the pulmonary artery while the left ventricle is the chamber that receives blood from the left atrium and pumps it into the system circulation […]
- Cardiomegaly
Cardiomegaly: Enlargement of the heart. Cardiomegaly is a descriptive term that is used to refer to the physical finding of an enlarged heart and is not a disease itself. Cardiomegaly can be caused by a number of different conditions including diseases of the heart muscle or heart valves, high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and pulmonary hypertension. […]