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The three things that can go wrong with the heart

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Common conditions that can cause our pump to become defective are: A previous heart attack – a heart attack means that a part of the heart has died and therefore, the pump has in some way become weaker Heart valve disease – if our heart valves are abnormally narrowed then they make it a lot more difficult for the heart to pump blood out.

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Cryptogenic Stroke

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Previously it was thought that this was only beneficial in 1 6 hour window, some studies are suggesting that it could be beneficial even if performed beyond 6 hours (up to 16 hours) The next step is to study the heart in detail. All patients should have a 12 lead ECG and be put on a 24 hour heart monitor whilst in hospital.

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What do heart tests tell us?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

An ultrasound will allow you to visualise the heart, measure the sizes of the chambers, assess the heart valves and work out how well the heart functions as a pump. If the heart has been left damaged, then that part of. This is an ultrasound (a bit like the type that we use on pregnant women to look at the baby).