ELECTRICIANS FOR THE HEART Everyone in our society is familiar with the words ‘heart attack’. A heart attack is when one of the pipes that supplies the heart with blood blocks off, causing a part of the heart to be starved of blood and oxygen. It is, quite simply, a problem with the plumbing. As it turns out, as well as having plumbing, hearts have an electrical system. The ‘electrics’ of the heart can also have problems from time to time. There is much less awareness of these conditions in the community, but they are very common, and largely very treatable. The heart is a pump. It pumps blood to the whole of the body, supplying blood and oxygen to all the organs. Electrical impulses in the heart cause it to pump, so it follows that problems with the heart electrics in general causes one of two problems; either the heart beats too slow, or too fast. Beating too fast or too slow can cause a variety of problems, including dizziness, loss of consciousness, pounding or ‘fl ip-fl opping’ in the chest, shortness of breath, racing pulse, pounding in the neck, and chest pain. Heart rhythm disorders are very common. Atrial fi brillation, a condition that often causes a very irregular pulse, affects four percent of people over the age of 65. Other problems include atrial fl utter (which is very similar Simplifying cardiac health GENERAL HEALTH pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 15
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue One
To see the actual publication please follow the link above