All About Cardiovascular System and Disorders

The sinus node is the normal pacemaker of heart which gives out regular electrical signals for the functioning of the heart in response to body's needs.

Defibrillator is a device used to shock the heart back into action when it has stopped due to a life threatening rhythm disorder (ventricular fibrillation).

The heart rate increases in inspiration and decreases in expiration. These respiratory changes in heart rate is known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

AV valves are the atrioventricular valves which prevent the back flow of blood from the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart) when they contract.

Regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) on an echocardiogram Regional wall motion abnormality on an echocardiogram means that a region of the heart muscle is not contracting as it normally

HUTT is short form for head up tilt test. A tilt table and ECG monitoring equipment are necessary for conducting the test.

AIVR is short for accelerated idioventricular rhythm. When the normal pacemaker of the heart (sinus node) slows down, subsidiary pacemakers can take over.

Cardiac CT scan image at the level of the bifurcation of the main pulmonary artery (MPA) into right pulmonary artery (RPA) and left pulmonary artery (LPA).

TMT is short for treadmill (device used for exercise testing) test. The subject walks on a motorized belt, the speed and gradient of which can be adjusted.

When heart contracts, blood is pushed into the blood vessels through the aorta from the left ventricle. This increases the blood pressure at that time.