Heart rate alternans

Article Abstract:

'Heart rate alternans' may accompany pulsus alternans, a finding in many patients with severe congestive heart failure. Pulsus alternans is an alternating fluctuation in pulse pressure, in which the blood pressure is lower in every other beat. Electrocardiographic studies of one patient with congestive heart failure revealed a beat-to-beat variation in heart rate, or heart rate alternans. This is the first report of such a manifestation of pulsus alternans, apparently because the spectral analysis technique used is so sensitive it can detect heart rate oscillations that are not otherwise evident. The heart rate alternans appeared to correlate with the oscillations in blood pressure.

Abnormalities, Physiological aspects, Congestive heart failure, Heart beat, Heart rate

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The Olmec heart effigy: earliest image of the human heart

Article Abstract:

Mesoamerica's first sophisticated artists, the Olmec, were the first to represent the heart, 2,500 years before Vesalius. The Olmec's representation of the heart shows a malposition of the great vessels. Despite the absence of archaeological context of the Olmec Heart Effigy, analysis of the anatomic naturalism of the piece suggests that the Olmec were the first Precolumbian people to practice heart sacrifice. This ceramic vessel from approximately 1,000 BC can be considered as an emblem of propitiation.

Analysis, Portrayals, Heart, Art, Art, Prehistoric, Prehistoric art, Olmecs

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Spironolactone for heart failure

Article Abstract:

A 1999 study found that the diuretic drug spironolactone was effective in patients with heart failure. This drug has been used for years to treat hypertension. In the study, patients treated with spironolactone had a 30% lower death rate than those who took a placebo, or inactive substance. All of the patients had severe heart failure so it is unclear whether the drug will help those with milder disease. One potential side effect that could be serious is elevated blood levels of potassium.

Evaluation, Drug therapy, Heart failure, Spironolactone

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