Heart difficulties are not all serious and are often interpreted in terms of noticeable heart action, breathing difficulty, chest pain or swelling of the ankles.

Heart Murmurs. Heart valves which open and close imperfectly may give rise to a sound similar to the whistling of wind



Fig. 53. The heart valve normally closes perfectly, but a diseased valve cannot close correctly. An imperfectly closing valve is the cause of heart murmur, heard during heart beat. The tricuspid valve has three lips, the bicuspid two lips.

rushing through a partially closed doorway. When valves open widely and blood flows freely, there is no sound, but when heart valves are deformed or do not close completely, onrushing blood creates a “murmur.”

There are different types of murmurs in the heart, some have serious significance, while others are of little importance. If a heart murmur is known to exist, explanation and expert guidance from an experienced physician in this field becomes advisable.

Heartbeat Irregularity. The regular heartbeat is similar to the

SINUS ARRYTHMIA
(BREATHING IRREGULARITY)
BREATHING IN BREATHING OUT

Fig. 54. Sinus arrythmia is a slowing of the heart rate when breathing out and a quickening of the rate when breathing in. It is caused by the rate of blood return to the heart as it is influenced by expansion and contraction of the heart.

steady rhythm of marching feet and anything disturbing this steady beat is called an irregularity. Irregularities are very common, some are important and some are not.

Sinus Arrhythmia (Breathing Irregularity). This is the most common heartbeat irregularity. It means a heart rate increase as we breathe in, and a decrease as we breathe out. It is found to some degree in everybody, and is not thought of as a disease.

Extrasystole (Extra Fast Heartbeat). This is a single heartbeat out of step, and often feels like a flip-flopping within the chest. In this irregularity, one heartbeat arrives ahead of step and is followed by a slight pause, awaiting the next beat back in regular step. The heart then goes on beating regularly until another extrasystole appears in the heartbeat order.

EXTRASYSTOLI
(OCCASIONAL FAST BEAT)

Fig. 55. Extrasystoli is irregularity of the heart beat. It is due to an occasional beat stepping in ahead of schedule, creating an apparent pause before the next regular beat. A common irregularity, it is not necessarily serious.

They frequently follow heavy eating, smoking, exercise or other excitement, and often are noticed when lying down in bed. Heavy tension and over-indulgence in tobacco are suspected as the chief causes of this irregularity. While an occasional extrasystole is usually not serious, the experienced physician’s opinion on this matter will help to discover any possibly serious underlying difficulties.

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