The Heart of the matter!

Jodi McWhirter RN, BSN

Northwest Children’s Heart Care

The Pump Everyone knows that the heart is a vital organ.

We cannot live without it. However when you get right down to it, your

heart is just a pump. As with all other pumps it can be made wrong, get clogged, and even break down.

The Heart

The heart is a hollow cone shaped muscle, located between the lungs and behind the sternum.

2/3’s of the heart is located to the left of the midline of the body, 1/3 is to the right.

Chambers and Valves The heart is divided into 4 chambers

and each chamber has a one way valve at it’s exit that prevents blood from flowing backwards.

When the heart muscle contracts or beats (called systole), it pumps blood out of the heart. The heart contracts in two stages. In the first stage, the right and left atria contract together, pumping the blood to the right and left ventricles. Then the ventricles contract together to propel blood out of the heart. Then the heart relaxes before the next heartbeat allowing the heart to fill up again.

Blood Flow Blood enters the right

atrium (1.upper ½ of body & 2. lower ½ of body)

When 3 contracts, blood goes through 4 into 5.

When 5 contracts blood goes through 6 into 7 and turns red.

After the lungs blood returns through 8 into 9.

When 9 contracts blood travels through 10 into 11.

When 11 contracts blood goes through 12 into 13 and then to the body.

Electricity The heart has cells that generate

electrical activity on their own. These cells leak charged particles

into the pathway which produces an electrical impulse that spreads across your heart, causing it to contract.

This happens more than once per second to produce a normal heart beat of 72 beats per minute.

The electricity at the SA node causes the right and left atria to squeeze and the ventricles to fill.

The electrical impulse then travels down to the Purkunje fibers and causes the right and left ventricle to contract.

ECG Electrocardiogram is used in the diagnosis process

and to achieve a baseline.

Echocardiogram

•Echo uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart.

•The picture is much more detailed than an Xray without radiation.

•A person trained in this is called a sonographer.

Atrial Septal defect http://www.pted.org/?id=atrialseptal1

Transposition of the Great Arteries http://www.pted.org/?id=transpositiond1

Ventricular Septal Defect

http://www.pted.org/?id=ventricularseptal2

Heart Slang

‘Have a heart’ - be merciful ‘Change of heart’ - change your mind ‘To know something by heart’ - memorize something ‘Broken heart’ - to lose love ‘Heartfelt’ - deeply felt ‘Have your heart in the right place’ - to be kind ‘Cry your heart out’ - to grieve ‘Heavy Heart’ - sadness ‘Have your heart set on’ - to want something badly

Great Links for Heart Info! http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/3

37/27/ http://health.howstuffworks.com/heart4.htm

Bates- LPN 1 Year full-time (http://www.bates.ctc.edu/page.asp?view=174)

Tacoma Community College- Associate RN 2 yrs full-time (http://www.tacomacc.edu/academics/areasofstudy/nursing.aspx)

University of Washington, Tacoma Bachelors of Nursing 2 Years part-time (http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/nursing/)

Where I’ve Worked

Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Medical/Surgical Unit and PICU Tacoma General Hospital Forensic Nurse Examiner Cedar Laser and Surgery Center OR nurse Northwest Children’s Heart Care Pediatric Cardiology Clinic Specialist

Jobs a plenty: http://www.travelnursing.com/pay-and-benefits/ http://worldwidetravelstaffing.com/ http://www.multicare.org/home/job-search/ http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings http://jobs.chop.edu/