| 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) |
| Aaron's sign | <clinical sign> In acute appendicitis, a referred pain or feeling of distress in the epigastrium or precordial region on continuous firm pressure over McBurney's point. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Abadie's sign of tabes dorsalis | Insensibility to pressure over the tendo achillis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Abrahams' sign | <clinical sign> An obsolete sign: Rales and other adventitious sounds, changes in the respiratory murmurs, and increase in the whispered sound can be heard on auscultation over the acromial end of the clavicle some time before they become audible at the apex; heard primarily in pulmonary tuberculosis affecting the apical portion of the lung, a dull-flat note, i.e., one between the normal dullness at the right apex and absolute flatness, heard on percussion in that region, indicating progress from incipient to advanced tuberculosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| accessory sign | <clinical sign> A finding frequently but not consistently present in a disease. Synonym: assident sign. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Allis' sign | <clinical sign> In fracture of the neck of the femur, the trochanter rides up, relaxing the fascia lata, so that the finger can be sunk deeply between the great trochanter and the iliac crest. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Amoss' sign | <clinical sign> In painful flexion of the spine, it is necessary to support a sitting position by extending the arms behind the torso with the weight placed on the hands. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Anghelescu's sign | <clinical sign> In vertebral tuberculosis, painful or impossible flexion of the spine when the patient attempts to rest weight on the heels and occiput. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antecedent sign | <clinical sign> A sign that appears during the prodrome of a disease. Synonym: antecedent sign. (05 Mar 2000) |