EKG Interpretation Part 1

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, usually starting in your heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle). The ventricle stretches and thins (dilates) and can't pump blood as well as a healthy heart can. The term "cardiomyopathy" is a general term that refers to the abnormality of the heart muscle itself. Dilated cardiomyopathy might not cause symptoms, but for some people it can be life-threatening. A common cause of heart failure — the heart's inability to supply the body with enough blood — dilated cardiomyopathy can also contribute to irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias), blood clots or sudden death. The condition affects people of all ages, including infants and children, but is most common in men ages 20 to 60.

Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations Breast cancer screening is important for all women. If you are at higher risk of breast cancer, you may need to be screened earlier and more often than women at average risk. Breast cancer screening is only recommended for some men at very high risk due to an inherited gene mutation or a strong family history of breast cancer.

Amenorrhea is the absence of menstrual bleeding.[1] Amenorrhea is a normal feature in prepubertal, pregnant, and postmenopausal females. In females of reproductive age, diagnosing amenorrhea is a matter of first determining whether pregnancy is the etiology. In the absence of pregnancy, the challenge is to determine the exact cause of absent menses.[2] Primary amenorrhea is the failure of menses to occur by age 16 years, in the presence of normal growth and secondary sexual characteristics. If by age 13 menses has not occurred and the onset of puberty, such as breast development, is absent, a workup for primary amenorrhea should start. Secondary amenorrhea is defined as the cessation of menses sometime after menarche has occurred. Oligomenorrhea is defined as menses occurring at intervals longer than 35 days apart. No consensus has been reached regarding the point at which oligomenorrhea becomes amenorrhea. Some authors suggest the absence of menses for 6 months constitutes amenorrhea, but the basis for this recommendation is unclear. For a post-menarchal girl or a reproductive-aged woman to experience a menstrual cycle interval of more than 90 days is statistically unusual. Practically speaking, this should be an indication for an evaluation to seek the cause.

Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Once quite common, measles can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine. Signs and symptoms of measles include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash. Also called rubeola, measles can be serious and even fatal for small children. While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills more than 100,000 people a year, most under the age of 5. As a result of high vaccination rates, measles has not been widespread in the United States for more than a decade. Today, the United States averages about 60 cases of measles a year, and most of them originate outside the country. Symptoms ShareTweet May 24, 2014 References See also Cough Runny nose Vital Vaccinations Advertisement Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Advertising & Sponsorship PolicyOpportunities Mayo Clinic Store Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic A to Z Health Guide The Essential Guide to Prostate Health Mayo Clinic Guide to Pain Relief The Menopause Solution — NEW! The Mayo Clinic Diet Online

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that can infect almost anyone. Most people don't know they have CMV because it rarely causes symptoms. However, if you're pregnant or have a weakened immune system, CMV is cause for concern. Once infected with CMV, your body retains the virus for life. However, CMV usually remains dormant if you're healthy. CMV spreads from person to person through body fluids, such as blood, saliva, urine, semen and breast milk. CMV spread through breast milk usually doesn't make the baby sick. However, if you are pregnant and develop an active infection, you can pass the virus to your baby.

Heart sounds are the noises generated by the beating heart and the resultant flow of blood through it. Specifically, the sounds reflect the turbulence created when the heart valves snap shut. In cardiac auscultation, an examiner may use a stethoscope to listen for these unique and distinct sounds that provide important auditory data regarding the condition of the heart. In healthy adults, there are two normal heart sounds often described as a lub and a dub (or dup), that occur in sequence with each heartbeat. These are the first heart sound (S1) and second heart sound (S2), produced by the closing of the atrioventricular valves and semilunar valves, respectively. In addition to these normal sounds, a variety of other sounds may be present including heart murmurs, adventitious sounds, and gallop rhythms S3 and S4. Heart murmurs are generated by turbulent flow of blood, which may occur inside or outside the heart. Murmurs may be physiological (benign) or pathological (abnormal). Abnormal murmurs can be caused by stenosis restricting the opening of a heart valve, resulting in turbulence as blood flows through it. Abnormal murmurs may also occur with valvular insufficiency (regurgitation), which allows backflow of blood when the incompetent valve closes with only partial effectiveness. Different murmurs are audible in different parts of the cardiac cycle, depending on the cause of the murmur.

The "sunshine" vitamin is a hot topic. You may have recently found out that you are deficient or know someone who is. It's shocking for most people when they have never had a problem before and believe nothing has changed to make it a problem now. The truth is that a lot has changed, and vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is now a global public-health problem affecting an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. The most well-known consequences to not having enough vitamin D are rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. These are far from the only problems associated with a vitamin D deficiency.

Endometriosis surgery

Addison's disease is a disorder that occurs when your body produces insufficient amounts of certain hormones produced by your adrenal glands. In Addison's disease, your adrenal glands produce too little cortisol and often insufficient levels of aldosterone as well. Also called adrenal insufficiency, Addison's disease occurs in all age groups and affects both sexes. Addison's disease can be life-threatening. Treatment for Addison's disease involves taking hormones to replace the insufficient amounts being made by your adrenal glands, in order to mimic the beneficial effects produced by your naturally made hormones.

Asbestosis (as-bes-TOE-sis) is a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Prolonged exposure to these fibers can cause lung tissue scarring and shortness of breath. Asbestosis symptoms can range from mild to severe, and usually don't appear until many years after continued exposure. Asbestos is a natural mineral product that's resistant to heat and corrosion. It was used extensively in the past in products such as insulation, cement and some floor tiles. Most people with asbestosis acquired it on the job before the federal government began regulating the use of asbestos and asbestos products in the 1970s. Today, its handling is strictly regulated. Acquiring asbestosis is extremely unlikely if you follow your employer's safety procedures. Treatment focuses on relieving your symptoms.

Cervical cancer can often be found early, and sometimes even prevented entirely, by having regular Pap tests. If detected early, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable cancers.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare blood disorder characterized by clotting in small blood vessels of the body (thromboses), resulting in a low platelet count. In its full-blown form, the disease consists of the pentad of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenic purpura, neurologic abnormalities, fever, and renal disease

Sickle cell anemia causes pain, fatigue and delayed growth, all because of a lack of enough healthy red blood cells. And yet genetic mutations that cause it — recessive genes for the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin protein — have survived natural selection because they also seem to provide a natural defense against malaria.

With inner ear disorders, your brain receives signals from the inner ear that aren't consistent with what your eyes and sensory nerves are receiving. Vertigo is what results as your brain works to sort out the confusion. These self-help acupressure points works with meridians to help the body regain normal healing and homeostasis.

Basic ECG Interpretation Our ECG Interpretation Training and Reference Guides provide basic lessons for ECG analysis as well as a quick reference guide for over 40 types of ECG tracings. The arrhythmia drills and quizzes allow you to practice ECG interpretation. What is ECG Interpretation? An electrocardiogram or ECG, records electrical activity in the heart. An ECG machine records these electrical signals across multiple heart beats and produces an ECG strip that is interpreted by a healthcare professional. How Electrocardiograms Work - ECG Strips To briefly summarize the components of a normal ECG tracings, it consist of waveform components which indicate electrical events during one heart beat. These waveforms are labeled P, Q, R, S, T and U. P wave is the first short upward movement of the ECG tracing. It indicates that the atria are contracting, pumping blood into the ventricles. The QRS complex, normally beginning with a downward deflection, Q; a larger upwards deflection, a peak (R); and then a downwards S wave. The QRS complex represents ventricular depolarization and contraction. The PR interval indicates the transit time for the electrical signal to travel from the sinus node to the ventricles. T wave is normally a modest upwards waveform representing ventricular repolarization. ECG Interpretation illustration spacer image ECG Training - Introduction The focus of this introductory ECG course is to provide a tutorial about the main features of ECGs along with a method for analyzing ECGs. This method includes assessment of rhythm, calculating heart rate, observing P-wave forms, measurement of intervals and segments and the evaluation of other relevant waves. ECG practice exercises serve to reinforce the lesson content.

Tests. This test tracks electrical signals from the brain. There are a number of blood tests that may be recommended as part of your epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. A positron emission tomography (PET) scan may be used to locate the part of the brain that is causing seizures.

Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. It can occur within seconds or minutes of exposure to something you're allergic to, such as a peanut or the venom from a bee sting. The flood of chemicals released by your immune system during anaphylaxis can cause you to go into shock; your blood pressure drops suddenly and your airways narrow, blocking normal breathing. Signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis include a rapid, weak pulse, a skin rash, and nausea and vomiting. Common triggers of anaphylaxis include certain foods, some medications, insect venom and latex. Anaphylaxis requires an immediate trip to the emergency department and an injection of epinephrine. If anaphylaxis isn't treated right away, it can lead to unconsciousness or even death.

On September 28, 1940 at Columbia Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, Dr. Austin T. Moore (1899–1963), an American surgeon, reported and performed the first metallic hip replacement surgery. In a total hip replacement (also called total hip arthroplasty), the damaged bone and cartilage is removed and replaced with prosthetic components. The damaged femoral head is removed and replaced with a metal stem that is placed into the hollow center of the femur.

6 987 24 MORE How Does Anesthesia Work? Credit: itsmejust | Shutterstock If you’ve ever had surgery, unless you are super tough, you’ve gone through it with the benefit of anesthetics. But, how do these body-numbing elixirs work? Prior to the invention of anesthesia in the mid-1800s, surgeons had to hack off limbs, sew up wounds and remove mysterious growths with nothing to dull the patient's pain but opium or booze. While these drugs may have numbed the patient, they didn’t always completely block the pain, or erase the memory of it. Since then, doctors have gotten much better at putting us out with drug combinations that ease pain, relax muscles and, in some cases, put us in a deep state of hypnosis that gives us temporary amnesia. Today, there are two primary types of anesthesia drugs: those that knockout the whole body (general) and those that only numb things up locally.