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Cardiac Development & Aging

Embryonic Period

The 3rd week of gestation
- Angiogenic cell clusters lie in cardiogenic plate.
- Endocardial tubes are formed and begin to fuse to form a single heart tube.
- The heart tube is forced to the thoracic area due to cephalic and lateral flexion.
The 4th week of gestation
- Endocardial tubes are have completely fused together.
- The heart begins to beat
- Splanchnopleuric mesoderm invests in the heart tubes and forms the pericardial cavity.
- The heart tube begins to grow rapidly, forcing it to fold upon itself.
- Centrally located sinoatrial junction starts to shift to the right.
- Perforations appear in dorsal mesocardium.
- Bulboventricular loop is formed.
- Septum primum appears.
- Ventricular septum appears as a small ridge on the floor of the common ventricle.
- Ventricles begin to dialate.
- A single pulmonary artery grows from outer dorsal wall of left atrium.
- The endocardial cushion appears.
The 5th and 6th week of gestation
- Truncal swelling.
- Perforations appear in septum primum.
- Bulboventricular flange recedes.
- Ostium secundum is formed by the free edge of septum primum.
- Septum secundum ceases to grow; its free edge forms the foramen ovale.
- Superior and Inferior endocardial cushions fuse.
The 7th and 8th week of gestation
- Ventricular septum ceases to grow.
- The coronary sinus is formed.
- Interventricular canal is completely obliterated.
- Aorta and pulmonary trunk are completely separated.
Aging of the Heart
The heart is normally beating at a normal pace due to a natural pacemaker. As aging occurs the pathways that help control the beating may develop tissue buildup and fat deposits. When this occurs it may create a slower heart rate.

Also when aging occurs the heart may also increase in size, which is not uncommon. With the enlarging the chamber walls may thicken and lessen the amount of blood the ventricles can hold.

The ECG of a normal healthy older person may be different to a younger person. This can occur because of abnormal rhythms or heart disease.

Another aging factor, which is quite normal, is the stiffness of the valves. When the valve stiffens it may cause a heart murmur.
The heart is an incredible muscle that beats nearly 100,000 times a day. The heart is constantly adjusting to the state of our bodies. As we age our heart adjusts to the needs of our body. With aging our hearts become more vulnerable to diseases and other heart related problems.
A decrease in flexibility of our arteries is caused by a decrease in the flexibility and elasticity of connective tissue which occurs with aging. Our heart becomes stiffened and less flexible. This stiffining can result in a possible a heart murmur which can alter blood flow through the heart. Decreased conducting system efficiency reduces the heart's ability to pump the extra blood necessary for stress and exercise. Also, the wall of ventricle becomes thicker because the high blood pressure causes the ventricles to work harder in order to pump blood into the arterial trunks. This then causes hypertrophy of the ventricular myocardium which then lead to the cardia muscles having to thicken thereby loosing the normal arrangement of formed cell bundles. This means that the heart is working less efficiently even though the heart is bigger.
Ways to protect our hearts from aging (or help to slow down the aging of the heart)
Keeping yourself healthy is the only real way to slow down the aging of the heart. Exercising regularly, having a healthy diet, not taking in harmful things for our bodies ( ex: smoking or drugs), and continue routine physical check ups.

SUhenry	Latest page update: made by SUhenry , Apr 27 2009, 10:38 PM EDT (about this update About This Update Edited by SUhenry 123 words added 1 word deleted view changes - complete history)
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