Best South Dakota Aerospace Medicine Physicians

Heart Murmur
A heart murmur is an abnormal sound made by turbulent blood flow in the heart. Some adults and many children have incidental heart murmurs that are harmless (benign). At least 30% of children may have an innocent heart murmur at some point during childhood. However, some heart murmurs can signal an underlying heart problem.

Gestational Diabetes
Glucose comes from the breakdown of food. It is the body's energy source. Assisted by a hormone called insulin, glucose can pass from the blood to the cells. Without insulin, glucose will build up in the blood. This is called hyperglycemia. At the same time, your body's cells are starved for glucose (energy).

Heart Failure
In heart failure, the heart is unable to pump the right amount of blood throughout the body. This causes blood to back up in the veins. Depending on which part of the heart is affected most, this can lead to a build up of excess fluid in the lungs, feet, and elsewhere. Heart failure can worsen with time, which may lead to the use of many treatments. Because of this, doctors are aggressive in treating heart failure to try to prevent it from worsening.

Heart Attack
A Heart Attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is interrupted. This deprives the heart muscle of oxygen, causing tissue damage or tissue death. Other names for heart attack include coronary attack, myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an Anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that can trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, such as rape or mugging, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. PTSD can be extremely disabling.

Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a disorder caused by autoimmune distruction of the insulin secreting cells of the pancreas resulting in the body's inability to produce sufficient insulin to meet bodily needs. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows the body to use sugar for energy. Without insulin, glucose (sugar) from the carbohydrate food you eat cannot enter cells. This causes glucose to build up in the blood, leaving your body cells and tissues starved for energy. While a variety of tissue transplantation techniques are under development and some genetically-based treatments have been proposed, at this point in time, the only widely-available treatment for type 1 diabetes is the injection of insulin.

Type 2 Diabetes
Related Media: Diabetes - Your Management Plan

Type 2 Diabetes is primarily a disorder in which the cells in the body are not responding to the high levels of insulin circulating in the body. The body becomes increasingly resistant to insulin. In end-stage type 2 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas are not producing enough insulin.

In Her Own Words: Living With Type 1 Diabetes


Heart Block
The heart is comprised of four chambers: two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). The sinoatrial (SA) node, located near the top of the right atrium, produces electrical signals that are sent to the atrioventricular (AV) node. The AV node then sends the signals to the ventricles, which are the primary pumping chambers of the heart. When the heart is functioning well, the electrical signals are transmitted smoothly from the atria to the ventricles, causing rhythmic muscle contractions that pump blood to the rest of the body.