Coronary Artery Anomalies
Coronary Artery Anomalies “The worst enemy of good is better” Normal Coronary Artery Anatomy There are two major coronary arteries—left and right. The left main coronary artery divides into the…
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy “If it takes more than 10 minutes of discussion to decide if a patient needs an operation, it is best not to operate” There are three distinct cardiomyopathies: Hypertrophic,…
Acquired Heart Diseases
Acquired Heart Diseases “Don’t attempt to make a patient better faster than it took the patient to become ill” Rheumatic Fever Acute rheumatic fever is a multisystem inflammatory disorder resulting…
Right-to-Left Shunts
Right-to-Left Shunts “Loeb’s Four Rules of Medicine 1. If the patient is getting better, keep doing what you are doing 2. If the patient is getting worse, change something 3….
Obstructive and Regurgitant Lesions
Obstructive and Regurgitant Lesions “One cannot know how to treat a disease until one understands the natural history of the disease” Aortic Stenosis and Insufficiency Incidence and Types There are…
Left-to-Right Shunts
Left-to-Right Shunts “A surgeon knows how to operate, a good surgeon knows when to operate, and an excellent surgeon know when not to operate” A left-to-right shunt exists when blood…
Principles of Inheritance and Genetics of Congenital Heart Disease
Principles of Inheritance and Genetics of Congenital Heart Disease “Pick a rare disease and study it” Principles of Inheritance of Congenital Heart Disease Multifactorial Inheritance Most forms of congenital heart…
Syncope and Sudden Death
Syncope and Sudden Death “The coroner’s jury sat upon the corpse, and, like sensible men, returned an unassailable verdict of ‘sudden death.’” –Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables…
Chest Pain
Chest Pain “The pathway to Hell is not paved with good intention. The pathway to Hell is paved with uncontrolled clinical trials.” Abdominal pain, leg pain (“growing pains”), headache, and…
Basic Diagnostic Studies
Basic Diagnostic Studies “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence” Electrocardiography Numerous excellent textbooks on electrocardiography have been written, and this section is not intended to compete with or…
