Heart valves

Heart valves

Valves that regulate blood flow into and out of the heart chambers.

Mentioned in: Heart Failure

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heart,

n the muscular pump that maintains and regulates the flow of blood through the body.

heart, artificial,

n a mechanical device that acts to pump blood to and from the body tissues during repair of the heart.

heart attack,

n See myocardial infarction; thrombosis, coronary; or occlusion, coronary.

heart block,

n the condition in which the muscular interconnection between the auricle and ventricle is interrupted so that the auricle and ventricle beat independently of each other.

heart, compression of,

n See massage, cardiac.

heart defect,

n a fault in the structural integrity of the heart.

heart defect, congenital,

n the structural errors in the heart formed during embryonic and fetal life.

heart disease,

n a disorder in the normal functioning of the heart.

heart disease, dental concerns,

n.pl the special considerations taken to eliminate oral disease by maintaining an elevated level of oral health and prevent infective endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves that may be caused by bacteremia created during dental treatments. Heart disease has also been linked with increased levels of periodontal disease.

heart disease, ischemic,

n See disease, heart, ischemic.

heart disease risk factors,

n.pl the hereditary, lifestyle, and environmental influences that increase one's chances of developing heart disease.

heart massage,

n See massage, cardiac.

heart murmur,

n the sound of blood flowing back through a defective heart valve. Two types are possible: organic or functional.

heart, normal,

n a heart without anatomic defects that could cause an impairment in the function of the organ.

heart rate,

n the rate or tempo of heart contractions recorded in beats per minute.

heart sounds,

n.pl the normal noises produced within the heart during the cardiac cycle that can be heard over the precordium and may reveal abnormalities in cardiac structure or function. The use of the stethoscope over the left side of the chest is a common clinical technique to assess heart function. The typical sounds are a rythmic lub dup; abnormal sounds include clicks, murmurs, rubs, snaps, and gallops.

heart surgery,

n a surgical procedure involving the heart, performed to correct acquired or congenital defects, to replace diseased valves, to open or bypass blocked vessels, or to graft a prosthesis or a transplant in place.

heart valves,

n.pl one of the four structures within the heart that prevent backflow of blood by opening and closing with each heartbeat. They include two semilunar valves, the aortic and pulmonary; the mitral, or bicuspid, valve; and the tricuspid valve. They permit the flow of blood in only one direction, and any one of the valves may become defective, permitting the backflow associated with heart murmurs.

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heart

the hollow muscular organ lying on the sternum that serves as a pump controlling the blood flow in two circuits, the pulmonary and the systemic. See also circulatory system.

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artificial heart

a mechanical device that replaces the heart by using pulsating air to pump blood to the body. Successfully placed in calves, sheep and dogs as experimental models for the subsequent use of such methods in humans.

heart attack

see myocardial infarction.

heart bones

ossicles in the fibrous skeletal ring which surrounds the aortic orifice of the heart in cattle and occasionally in other species; called also ossa cordis.

heart conducting system

consists of the sinoatrial node, the atrioventricular node, the atrioventricular bundle and its two crura.

cyanotic heart malformations

insufficient oxygenated hemoglobin is received in the peripheral capillary beds resulting in blue discoloration of tissues, and an incapacity of the body to maintain a life-sustaining level of activity.

heart disease

an all-embracing term including those diseases in which there is intrinsic disease of the heart such as uremia, valvular disease, African horse sickness, vitamin E-selenium nutritional deficiency, inherited cardiomyopathies of dogs and cattle, altitude sickness, canine parvovirus infection, and in a number of plant and other poisonings. See also mulberry heart disease.

heart failure cells

hemosiderin-laden macrophages present in the pulmonary alveoli in cases of congestive heart failure.

heart malformations

includes ectopia cordis, patent foramen ovale, ventricular septal defects such as Fallot's tetralogy, Eisenmenger complex, patent ductus arteriosus, aortic coarctation, right aortic arch persistence, truncus arteriosus persistence, fibroelastosis, subvalvular aortic stenosis, anomalous origin of carotid arteries, transposition of great vessels, pulmonic stenosis, aortic stenosis.

heart massage

see cardiac massage.

heart meridian points

acupuncture points along the heart meridian.

heart rate

the number of contractions of the cardiac ventricles per unit of time. For normal rates see pulse rate.

heart score

a concept which sets out that performance in racing horses is related to heart size, now a well-established relationship, and that heart size can be estimated in the living horse by the measurement of the QRS interval.

heart sounds

see heart sounds, heart murmur.

heart strain

is an unpopular concept in any medical science but overtrained horses which perform poorly do have a high incidence of abnormal T waves.

heart valve anomalies

failure of complete development of atrioventricular or semilunar valves results in stenosis or incompetence of the valves and often congestive heart failure.

heart valve hematoma

congenital, usually multiple lesions on the edges of atrioventricular valves, mostly in calves; disappear spontaneously in most cases.

heart valve thrombosis

common lesion on the free edges of valves, often the source of widespread emboli; on healing leave scarred, insufficient valves.

heart valves

flaps of endothelial connective tissue that guard the entrance into and exit from the ventricles and bring about unidirectional blood flow. Include the atrioventricular and semilunar valves, the proper closure of which is essential to maintain circulatory equilibrium, can be diseased and cause heart failure. See also heart murmur, endocarditis, endocardiosis.