…aorta. Afterload affects myocardial muscle fibers during systole and diastole. Afterload is a function of the following three variables: Aortic resistance (pressure). Left ventricular volume…

Echocardiography Structure and contractile function of myocardial fibers The left ventricular wall can be subdivided into several layers. These layers are similar to those seen…

…The orientation of myocardial muscle fibers results in longitudinal, radial and circumferential shortening (contraction). Traditional methods for investigating left ventricular function — e.g ejection fraction…

…on the ECG as increased amplitudes of the QRS complexes. The explanation is straightforward: myocardial muscle mass is increased and therefore it generates greater electrical…

…severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, accounting for approximately 80% of cases. Other causes include acute mechanical complications—particularly ventricular septal defect (VSD) and papillary muscle…

…function and the development of myocardial fibrosis. Contractile dysfunction further aggravates the regurgitation (the regurgitation volume increases). Mechanically, wall stress (the load on individual muscle…

…of cardiac cells: Conduction cells form the fiber networks that sprout into the myocardium and disseminate the action potential. These cells have virtually no contractile…

…of such changes is simply to enable the cardiopulmonary system to increase its delivery of oxygen to skeletal muscle and myocardium. The oxygen consumption – and…

…and degradation. Histologically, a vulnerable plaque is defined by a fibrous cap thickness of less than 65 μm, heavy macrophage infiltration, sparse smooth muscle…

…are components of the myocardial contractile apparatus and are expressed predominantly in cardiac muscle. Troponin I is highly specific for myocardial injury. Interpretation of troponin…