简介：Therespiratorysystemhastwoprincipalpurposes-tomaintainadequatearterialPaO2,andtoregulatearterialPaCO2andtherebymaintainastableacid-basestate.Botharenecessarytosustainnormaltissuemetabolism.Respiratoryfailurecanbedefinedintwoways:

简介：HeartFailureisasyndromeratherthanaspecificdiagnosis.Itisthefinalresultofmanydiseasesaffectingtheheart.Heartfailureisusuallyviewedintermsofheartmuscledisease,butothercausesofthesyndromeincludevalxaxlarheartdiseaseandchronicarrhythmias.Inindustrializedsocieties,themostcommoncauseofheartfailureiscoronaryarterydisease.Asubstantialminorityofpatientshave'dilatedcardiomyopathy',inwhichthereisintrinsicheartmuscledamagewithnormalcoronaryarteries.Bydefinition,thecauseofcardiomyopathyisunknown,andthisdiagnosisshouldthereforeeventuallydisappearonceallthecausesofheartmuscledysfunctionareidentified.Therangeofcausesofspecificheartmusclediseaseisalreadywide(Figure1).

简介：AcuterheumaticfeverisinitiatedbygroupAstreptococcalphar-yngitis.Thisisfollowedbyalatentperiodof2-6weeks,afterwhichtheclinicalsyndromeofacuterheumaticfeverevolves,characterizedbypolyarthritis,carditis,chorea,erythemamarginatumandsubcutaneousnodules.Thesefeaturesmayoccursinglyorinanycombination.

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