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Using the latest medical procedures, the Heart Station and EKG departments at Ochsner Rush Medical Center give physicians accurate and detailed information about the performance of a patient's heart. This information helps physicians diagnose a patient's condition so they can recommend the best treatment options available.
About the Heart
The heart is a hollow, muscular organ designed to pump blood and deliver oxygen and nutrients to all body tissues. Blood is received from the body into the right atrium. The right atrium pumps this oxygen-depleted blood into the right ventricle. The right ventricle then pumps the blood to the lungs to dispose of waste gases and revitalize it with oxygen. Blood from the lungs is then received by the left atrium. The left atrium pumps this reoxygenated blood to the left ventricle. The left ventricle - the most muscular part of the heart - pumps blood to all the organs in the body.
Normally, an electrical impulse is generated from a group of specialized cardiac cells located in the sinus node region. This electricity spreads throughout the heart muscle and through a conduction system. The electricity is what causes the heart muscle to contract and pump the blood.
Even though the heart has chambers filled with blood, this blood does not feed the heart with the oxygen and nutrients it requires. A separate set of coronary arteries and veins supplies the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. A decrease or blockage in the supply of blood to the heart can result in pain called angina or progress into a heart attack.
Coronary disease limits the flow of blood to the heart because of the buildup of fat and cholesterol along the lining of the coronary arteries. Coronary disease can be measured through several tests that your physician may recommend, including those provided at the Ochsner Rush Medical Center Heart Station.