About-Cardio
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We provide our users the most up-to-date and accurate information on the treatment and prevention of cardio pathologies in accordance with current American and European clinical guidelines.
The information provided on this website is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a licensed physician for diagnosis and treatment.
Cardiothoracic Assessment
Introduction
The cardiothoracic assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of the heart and lungs, which are crucially interconnected. A thorough assessment allows doctors to detect conditions like heart failure, valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, and respiratory disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary hypertension.
Key Components of Cardiothoracic Assessment
1. Medical History
- Symptoms to assess: Shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, fainting, and fatigue.
- Risk factors: Smoking, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, family history of cardiovascular diseases.
2. Physical Examination
- Inspection: Assess chest shape, symmetry of breathing, and presence of cyanosis (bluish skin due to lack of oxygen).
- Palpation: Feel for abnormal heart impulses, chest tenderness, or fluid accumulation.
- Percussion: Helps determine lung expansion and detect fluid in the pleural space.
- Auscultation: Listening to heart sounds (murmurs, extra heart sounds) and lung sounds (crackles, wheezing, or absent breath sounds).
3. Diagnostic Tests
- Electrocardiography (ECG): Evaluates heart rhythm and detects arrhythmias, ischemia, or hypertrophy.
- Echocardiography: Uses ultrasound to assess heart structure, valves, and function.
- Chest X-ray: Helps visualize heart size, pulmonary congestion, or lung pathology.
- Cardiac MRI/CT scan: Provides detailed images of the heart and lungs.
- Pulmonary function tests (PFTs): Assess lung capacity and function.
- Laboratory tests: Includes cardiac biomarkers (like troponins), lipid profile, and inflammatory markers.
Conclusion
A proper cardiothoracic assessment is essential for diagnosing and managing both cardiac and pulmonary diseases. A combination of history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests ensures a comprehensive evaluation. Regular assessments are especially important for individuals with heart disease risk factors.
Source recommendations
1. American Heart Association Guidelines
- https://professional.heart.org/en/guidelines-and-statements
- https://www.heart.org/
- https://professional.heart.org/en/guidelines-statements
- https://cpr.heart.org/en/resuscitation-science/cpr-and-ecc-guidelines
- https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults
2. European Society of Cardiology Guidelines
- https://www.escardio.org/Guidelines/Clinical-Practice-Guidelines
- https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/42/34/3227/6358713
- https://www.escardio.org/Guidelines
- https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/44/39/4043/7238227
- https://www.escardio.org/
3. American College of Chest Physicians Guidelines
- https://www.chestnet.org/guidelines-and-topic-collections
- https://journal.chestnet.org/guidelines
- https://www.chestnet.org/guidelines-and-topic-collections/guidelines
- https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/ten-points-to-remember/2016/03/02/15/45/antithrombotic-therapy-for-vte-disease
- https://www.chestnet.org/
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If you or your loved ones experience any of these symptoms, you should consult a doctor in time. Remember that self-medication can be dangerous, and timely diagnosis will preserve the quality and life expectancy.
The heart is an organ that does not know how to "keep silent" if something goes wrong. Chest pain, shortness of breath, swelling, dizziness, and rhythm disturbances are the symptoms that require our attention. The best prevention of heart disease is careful attention to your health, regular checkups with a doctor, and a healthy lifestyle. Take care of your heart, and it will serve you for many years!
Our advantages:
Best practices from USA, EU and Japan
Our answers to your questions are based on the clinical recommendations of countries with the most developed healthcare systems in the field of cardiology in the USA, the EU and Japan.
Always up-to-date information
On a daily basis, we monitor for you all new scientific research publications in leading scientific journals on medical issues of interest to you.
We monitor all innovations and changes in the field of cardiac disease treatment on a daily basis.
We monitor all innovations and changes in the field of cardiac disease treatment on a daily basis.
Get second opinion
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Every 3-5 years, half of the scientific approaches to treatment in the field of cardiology are reviewed as a result of specialized scientific discoveries. With us, you don't have to wait these years to learn about the best ways to treat you and your loved ones.
Every 3-5 years, half of the scientific approaches to treatment in the field of cardiology are reviewed as a result of specialized scientific discoveries. With us, you don't have to wait these years to learn about the best ways to treat you and your loved ones.