| forward heart failure | A concept (formerly considered mutually exclusive of backward heart failure) that maintains that the phenomena of congestive heart failure result from the inadequate cardiac output, and especially from the consequent inadequacy of renal blood flow with resulting retention of sodium and water. Compare: backward heart failure. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| fourth heart sound | The sound produced in late diastole in association with ventricular filling due to atrial systole and related to reduced ventricular compliance. It is a low frequency oscillation that may be normal at older ages owing to a physiologic decline in ventricular compliance but is nearly always abnormal at younger ages if it is of high intensity or palpable. It is common in ventricular hypertrophy, particularly with hypertension, and is almost invariable during acute myocardial infarction. Fourth heart sounds may arise from the right or left ventricle or both. Synonym: atrial sound. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Framingham Heart study | <epidemiology> Ongoing epidemiologic study of a cohort of over 5,000 of the population of Framingham, MA conducted since 1949 under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health and Boston University. (05 Mar 2000) |
| law of the heart | The energy liberated by the heart when it contracts is a function of the length of its muscle fibres at the end of diastole. Synonym: Starling's law. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left heart | The left atrium and left ventricle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left heart bypass | Any procedure that shunts blood returning from the pulmonary circulation to the systemic circulation without passing through the left heart. This is utilised during some cardiac surgery and experimentally during severe left heart failure or cardiogenic shock. (05 Mar 2000) |
| left-sided heart failure | Inability of the left heart to maintain its circulatory load with corresponding rise in pressure in the pulmonary circulation usually with pulmonary congestion and ultimately pulmonary oedema. (05 Mar 2000) |
| frosted heart | Hyaloserositis involving the pericardium. Synonym: icing heart. (05 Mar 2000) |
| lion-heart | A very brave person. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| longitudinal sulcus of heart | See: anterior interventricular groove, posterior interventricular groove. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Abbe test plate | <equipment> A long, wedge-shaped coverslip about 0.20 mm thick at one end and 0.10 to 0.12 mm at the other end coated chemically with a silver film on which are ruled horizontal lines. at each variation in thickness of 0.01 mm there are vertical lines. By means of oblique illumination and by focusing on different portions of the plate, it is possible to determine the optimum coverslip thickness for any objective and also, for microscopes with drawtubes, the tube length for best objective performance. The approximate freedom from spherical and chromatic aberrations can also be estimated. Small isolated bits of silver near the edges of the lines form good objects for the star test (05 Aug 1998) |
| acetone test | A test for ketonuria; the suspected urine is shaken up with a few drops of sodium nitroprusside, and strong ammonia water is then gently poured over the mixture; if acetone is present, a magenta ring forms at the line of contact; tablets containing sodium nitroprusside and alkali are now more commonly used. (05 Mar 2000) |
| achievement test | A standardised test used to measure acquired learning, e.g., competence in a specific subject area such as reading or arithmetic, in contrast to an intelligence test which is a useful index of potential ability or learning. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acidified serum test | Lysis of the patient's red cells in acidified fresh serum, specific for paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria. Synonym: Ham's test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acid loading test | <nephrology> This is a test used in the diagnosis of renal tubular acidosis. The patient takes ammonium chloride capsules for 3 days to acidify the blood (lower blood pH). A sample of the urine and the blood is then collected and the results are interpreted. (27 Sep 1997) |