American Heartbeat

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The heart's electrical system controls the heartbeat. The heart's electrical signals start in a group of cells at the top of the heart called the sinus node. They pass through a pathway between the upper and lower heart chambers called the atrioventricular (AV) node. The movement of the signals causes the heart to squeeze and pump blood.

Ventricular fibrillation. Rapid, chaotic electrical signals cause the lower heart chambers to quiver instead of squeezing in a coordinated way. This serious problem can lead to death if a regular heart rhythm isn't restored within minutes. Most people with ventricular fibrillation have an underlying heart disease or had a serious injury. While on field assignment, Winchester came across a copy of Coronation Everest by James Morris, a book that gave a detailed account of the 1953 expedition that resulted in the first ever successful ascent of Mount Everest. The book inspired Winchester to become a writer, and so he sought advice from the book author by mail. Morris convinced Winchester to give up geology and get a job as a newspaper writer. The book covers a broad scope; we follow the life of William Chester Minor, from his time as a young man to his time in an asylum for the criminally insane. Then there is Sir James Murray, the main editor of the Oxford Dictionary’s undertakings. Moreover, then the author gives a remarkable means through which the dictionary was written, compiled and published. Atrial fibrillation (AFib). Chaotic heart signaling causes a rapid, uncoordinated heartbeat. AFib may be temporary and start and stop on its own. But some episodes may not stop unless treated. AFib has been linked to stroke.

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But some things can change how electrical signals travel through the heart and cause arrhythmias. They include: Untreated AFib doubles the risk of heart-related deaths and is associated with a fivefold increased risk for stroke. Yet many people are unaware that AFib is a serious condition. One of the most committed and brilliant volunteers were Dr. William Minor, a man who provides thousands of entries and was considered at that time a lunatic. For decades he spent his days in an asylum, contributing to the dictionary, one task that distracted him from the grandiose and scary delusions. If you have atrial or SVT that occurs once in a while, you may not need treatment if you don’t have symptoms or other heart problems.

Normally, your heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat. In AFib, the upper chambers of the heart, or the atria, beat irregularly. Because not enough blood is being pumped out of the atria, blood pools in the area. The pooled blood can clot – which can be extremely dangerous. A type of arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation can cause a dramatic drop in blood pressure. This can cause the person to fall to the ground within seconds, also called collapse. Soon the person's breathing and pulse will stop. Ventricular fibrillation is an emergency that needs immediate medical help. It's the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death. If there's no one nearby trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), provide hands-only CPR. Push hard and fast on the center of the chest. Do 100 to 120 compressions a minute until medical help arrives. You do not need to breathe into the person's mouth.Bradycardia (brad-e-KAHR-dee-uh) is a slow heartbeat. The heart rate is less than 60 beats a minute. In writing The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester has carefully researched and investigated to provide precise and accurate details of what it took to create the OED. The story closely relates to the modern project management problems, for instance, the size of the project, the amount of time required to complete and the number of people needed to finish.