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There are special cells in the heart that act as a natural pacemaker, sending electrical signals through their fibers to the heart muscle and regulating the heartbeat. An electrocardiogram reproduces these electrical patterns as a tracing. When there is a disturbance in any part of this conduction system, the heart may beat irregularly, or the rate may become either very slow or very fast. Irregular heartbeats can be life threatening in some cases, because the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently. Many people with heart rhythm disorders are able to live normal lives because of the invention of the pacemaker. This device is implanted in the body, and it sends electrical signals to the heart to keep the heart beating at a normal rate. Not everyone with heart rhythm disorders needs a pacemaker; some people can be treated with drugs. Symptoms of a heart attack vary, but the most common is a persistent, crushing chest pain that may spread to the left arm, jaw, neck, or shoulder blades and last as long as twelve hours. Sometimes a heart attack causes just a mild pain that can be mistaken for indigestion, but ingestion can ususlly be relieved by antacids. An abnormality in a valve is usually discovered when the doctor hears a murmur while listening to the heart with a stethoscope. Disorders of the valves may be caused by congential abnormalities or by infection or inflammation. A heart murmur does not always mean that a person has a serious disease. An estimated 5 percent of adults, mostly women, have a condition known as mitral valve prolapse,which causes problems for only a small number of these individuals. Various drugs are used for the relief of pain, to improve the pumping action of the heart, and to prevent abnormal rhythms. Oxygen is usually given. In some cases, the doctor inserts a tube into the artery in order to widen the narrowed area. In other cases, coronary artery bypass graft surgery is performed, in which arteries from other parts of the body are transplanted to the heart to provide increased blood flow to the heart muscle.
Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db
One of the common heart disorders is nonetheless, coronary heart disorders. Coronary heart disorders results from a restricted suupply of blood to the heart muscle. When arteries become clogged, or narrowed, by deposits of hardened fat, cholesterol, and other substances called plague, blood does not flow through them easily. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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