cardiology

Tetralogy Of Fallot (TOF), named for French physician Arthur Fallot, is the most common cyanotic congenital heart defect and comprised of four cardiovascular anomalies: Right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) obstruction due to pulmonic valve stenosis...

The heart is encased within a double-layered protective sac called the pericardium. Pneumopericardium occurs when air accumulates within this sac resulting in increased pressure around the heart. So how does air get there? Blunt or...

The R-on-T phenomenon is a type of ventricular extrasystole that can occur when a premature ventricular contraction (PVC) happens during the relative refractory period (RRP) of the previous ventricular depolarization, specifically on the last...

The absolute and relative refractory periods refer to the intervals during which the cardiac cells are either entirely or partially unresponsive to further stimulation, respectively. The refractory periods are crucial in regulating the timing...

Calcific aortic valve stenosis causes the left ventricle (LV) to adapt to chronic pressure overload over time. Classically, this involves left ventricular hypertrophy resulting in diastolic dysfunction. After a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the...

When I'm on service as an intensivist, I have a knack for misplacing my stethoscope somewhere in the CVICU or OR. Every now and then, I'll have to retrace my steps from room-to-room looking...

As a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a powerful cardiac imaging modality I perform in the OR during cardiac surgery and in the cardiovascular ICU when point-of-care ultrasound is not feasible...

Complete (3°) heart block (CHB) occurs when atrial signals do not reach the ventricle; therefore, the atria (P-waves) and ventricles (wide QRS complexes) pace themselves independently of each other. Symptoms can range from fatigue...