Jodi McWhirter RN, BSN Northwest Children’s Heart Care The Heart of the matter!

The Pump Everyone knows that the heart is a vital organ. We cannot live without it. However when you get right down to it, your heart is just a pump. As with all other pumps it can be made wrong, get clogged, and even break down. -You can be brain dead which is when the majority of your brain tissue has died but the brain stem is still sending a signal to your heart. This happens when Organs are procured.

The Heart The heart is a hollow cone shaped muscle, located between the lungs and behind the sternum. 2/3’s of the heart is located to the left of the midline of the body, 1/3 is to the right. Everyone draw a line from your chin to their belly button with your left arm, then with your right fist show me where you think your heart is.

Chambers and Valves The heart is divided into 4 chambers and each chamber has a one way valve at it’s exit that prevents blood from flowing backwards. When the heart muscle contracts or beats (called systole), it pumps blood out of the heart. The heart contracts in two stages. In the first stage, the right and left atria contract together, pumping the blood to the right and left ventricles. Then the ventricles contract together to propel blood out of the heart. Then the heart relaxes before the next heartbeat allowing the heart to fill up again. Draw a large box on the back of your paper, divide that box into 4 smaller boxes. Label top Left box RA, bottom Left box RV, top left box LA, and bottom left box LV. Draw a upside down triangle under line dividing RA and RV & LA and LV. Label the one on the left tricuspid valve and the one on the right mitral valve. Now draw a circle in the lower Left boxes top right corner, extend two lines on each side of circle up out of large box- Label this circle the pulmonary valve. Lets do the same with the box on the lower right in a mirror fashion. Draw a circle in the lower right boxes top left corner, extend two lines on each side of circle up out of large box UNDER the other lines you just drew- Label this circle the aortic valve.

Blood Flow Blood enters the right atrium (1.upper ½ of body & 2. lower ½ of body) When 3 contracts, blood goes through 4 into 5. When 5 contracts blood goes through 6 into 7 and turns red. After the lungs blood returns through 8 into 9. When 9 contracts blood travels through 10 into 11. When 11 contracts blood goes through 12 into 13 and then to the body. Follow on the diagram you have drawn to show the flow of blood, you can draw arrows if you’d like. Blue indicates unoxygenated blood and red indicates oxygenated blood. This is not a true indication of bloods actual color.

Electricity The heart has cells that generate electrical activity on their own. These cells leak charged particles into the pathway which produces an electrical impulse that spreads across your heart, causing it to contract. This happens more than once per second to produce a normal heart beat of 72 beats per minute. The electricity at the SA node causes the right and left atria to squeeze and the ventricles to fill. The electrical impulse then travels down to the Purkunje fibers and causes the right and left ventricle to contract. Show closed and open fists

ECG Electrocardiogram is used in the diagnosis process and to achieve a baseline.

Echocardiogram Echo uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. The picture is much more detailed than an Xray without radiation. A person trained in this is called a sonographer.

Atrial Septal defect http://www.pted.org/?id=atrialseptal1

Transposition of the Great Arteries http://www.pted.org/?id=transpositiond1

Ventricular Septal Defect http://www.pted.org/?id=ventricularseptal2

Heart Slang ‘Have a heart’ - be merciful ‘Change of heart’ - change your mind ‘To know something by heart’ - memorize something ‘Broken heart’ - to lose love ‘Heartfelt’ - deeply felt ‘Have your heart in the right place’ - to be kind ‘Cry your heart out’ - to grieve ‘Heavy Heart’ - sadness ‘Have your heart set on’ - to want something badly

Great Links for Heart Info! http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/337/27/ http://health.howstuffworks.com/heart4.htm

Tacoma Community College- Bates- LPN 1 Year full-time (http://www.bates.ctc.edu/page.asp?view=174) Tacoma Community College- Associate RN 2 yrs full-time (http://www.tacomacc.edu/academics/areasofstudy/nursing.aspx) University of Washington, Tacoma Bachelors of Nursing 2 Years part-time (http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/nursing/)

Where I’ve Worked Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Medical/Surgical Unit and PICU Tacoma General Hospital Forensic Nurse Examiner Cedar Laser and Surgery Center OR nurse Northwest Children’s Heart Care Pediatric Cardiology Clinic Specialist

Jobs a plenty: http://www.travelnursing.com/pay-and-benefits/ http://worldwidetravelstaffing.com/ http://www.multicare.org/home/job-search/ http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/pediatric-rankings http://jobs.chop.edu/