Blog 13

The heart is one of the most important pieces of the human body
puzzle. Its a muscular organ about the size of your fist and is
located behind and slightly to the left of the breast bone. The
hearts basic function is to pump blood through the network of
arteries and veins, aka the cardiovascular system.
There are 4 basic chambers in the heart, each with a different
purpose that relies on one another.
The right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it to
the right ventricle.
The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and
pumps it to the lungs, where it is loaded with oxygen.
The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and
pumps it to the left ventricle
The left ventricle which is the strongest chamber then pumps
oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The vigorous
contractions of the left ventricle creates our blood pressure.
One heart condition that some people can obtain is called a heart
murmur. Heart murmurs can fade, mean nothing, or can
sometimes mean a serious disease such as heart disease.
The heart murmurs that do not affect people are often called
innocent heart murmurs and happen quite often in children, and it
is just from the blood circulating through the chambers, valves, or
blood vessels. A large group of children often obtain these at
childhood and often outgrow them, although some keep them
through adulthood.
The other type of heart murmur that is serious is called
abnormal. Usually with an abnormal heart murmur, it is a
precursor to having other heart problems. Often times it is
because of heart valve disease that can be contracted as a result.
The heart murmur itself is not a disease, but it can be a sign for a

disease. It is more or less of a symptom such as puking is not a

disease, but it is a symptom for various things such as the flu.
There are several things that can cause heart murmurs such as
defective heart valves. A stenotic heart valve has a small-thannormal opening and cant open completely, also a valve may be
unable to close completely which leads to regurgitation which can
cause blood leakage.
It can also exist because of congenital defects.
A murmur that occurs when the heart relaxes between beats is
called a diastolic murmur.
One that occurs when the heart contracts is called a systolic
murmur, these are grade by intensity from 1 to 6 with 6 being
heard with the stethoscope slightly off the chest.
In order to see if you, or if a friend or someone close to you has
one, just have them checked by a doctor and the stethoscope
should be able to pick it up.

http://www.texasheart.org/ProjectHeart/Kids/Listen/Dove_Coo_Murmur.cfm

http://www.medicinene
t.com/heart_murmur/article.htm

http://study.com/academy/lesson/heartmurmur-definition-causes-symptoms-treatment.html

Works Cited
"The Heart (Human Anatomy): Diagram, Definition, Location in the Body, and Heart
Problems." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

"Heart Murmurs Causes, Treatments, Types, and More." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.
"Heart Murmurs." - Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.
Notes.