Crimes of the Heart: A Case Study on Cardiac Anatomy

Tiffany is worried about her newborn son. Ever since she brought Caleb home from the hospital it has been so hard to get him to eat and he seems to be breathing too hard all the time. At his one month check-up, the nurse tells her that Caleb has only gained one pound since he was born and Tiffany breaks into tears.

Dr. Baker checks over Caleb in the exam room, taking extra time feeling and listening to his chest. After the exam Dr. Baker says, “When I listen to Caleb’s heart I hear an extra sound called a murmur. I want to use an echocardiogram and an ECG to get a good picture of all the parts of his heart.”

After a full day of tests, Tiffany meets with Dr. Baker in his office. He …show more content…

In Caleb’s heart, what color would the blood be within the right and left ventricles, respectively? Left ventricle: oxygenated (red). Right ventricle: will have mixed blood so it will be red and blue because the opening between the two ventricles has an effect similar to a connection between the atria: When the more powerful left ventricle beats, it ejects blood into the right ventricle and pulmonary circuit. (A&P book pg. 677)

4. What happens to Caleb’s systemic cardiac output as a result of his ventricular septal defect (VSD)? Explain your answer. Caleb will produce lower cardiac output because a left-to-right shunt at the ventricular level reduces LV output by the amount of the shunt because of this the body’s compensatory mechanisms will increase intravascular volume because of this lowered cardiac output until LV end-diastolic volume is sufficient to pump both a normal cardiac output and the proportionate left-to-right shunt. (AHAJOURNALS.ORG)

5. Based on the location of Caleb’s defect, what part of the conduction system might be at risk for abnormalities?
Well since Caleb has a hole in his heart muscle wall these parts of the conduction system might be at risk for abnormalities the SA node, AV node, bundle of His, bundle branches, and Purkinje fibers. (NIH.GOV 2)

WORKS CITED

STETHOGRAPHICS.COM