My name is probably Bradley Ickes. I'm a high school student who is close to graduation with an interest in healthcare (specifically orthopedics and medical examination).
I tend to keep myself busy with hobbies and side jobs, I enjoy drumming the most out of these hobbies, and I should hopefully be a volunteer at my local hospital starting next month
I created this website late at night on the 10th of August, 2023. My hope is that this website will act as a way for people to see who I am in case something were to happen.
If anything were to cause me to abandon the internet, or if I forget about the site entirely, this website should hopefully stay up for as long as Neocities is willing and able.
My interest in playing the drums appeared about a year ago, but I've always had an interest in playing an instrument or creating music
I tried playing the acoustic guitar around 3 years ago, but I was not any good and it did not pique my interest. Failing at the guitar would eventually be what motivated me musically
The heart is a member of the ==Autonomic nervous system==, meaning it can constantly receive blood and pump it out throughout the body involuntarily. To do this, the ==Sinoatrial node== generates a consistent pulse of electrical impulses through the other nodes of the heart, causing the muscles of the heart to contract and expand. The ==Action potentials== from the SA node then move on to the ==Atrioventricular node==(The gateway between the ==Atria== and ==Ventricles==), before moving on to the ==Bundle of His==, and finally moving throughout the ==Purkinje fibers==, restarting the process all over again. The heart's contraction can be considered the ==Systolic== phase of the heart, and the expansion can be considered the ==Diastolic== phase. For the electrical impulses which cause these phases, there is ==Depolarization== and ==Repolarization== , which can be used to visualize the electrical impulses (action potentials) which travel from the polarized side of the heart to the depolarized.
This depolarization and repolarization of the heart can be shown as a sort of wave on a computer monitor called an EKG (Electrocardiogram). This wave has 2 curves, known as the ==P== and ==T== waves, and a characteristic spike in the middle, known as the ==QRS complex==. When the electrical system of the heart is working as intended in a range of ==60-100BPM==, it is known as ==Sinus rhythm==, and will show up on the EKG monitor as a consistent ==PQRST== wave. When people flatline (like in movies), it is also known as ==Asystole==, and will show up on the EKG as a, well, flat line. When a person goes asystole it means that there is no electrical activity in the heart, meaning that it will not take in or pump out any blood, putting you into a state known as =="Clinical death''==.
There are other ways that the SA node, the pacemaker of the heart, and other areas of the heart can fail at producing a consistent and moderate heartbeat. When the SA node receives impulses from the nerves because of factors such as anxiety, exercise, or fever, the heart increases its rate of contraction and relaxation. When the heart rate goes above ==100== BPM, it is known as ==Tachycardia==, and ==Bradycardia== is the term for when the rate of depolarization in the heart goes below ==60== BPM. Tachycardia and bradycardia are not especially dangerous when in moderation, but can easily become dangerous when it becomes ==fibrillation==. Fibrillation can take many forms, but is usually caused by a ==Desynchronization== of the heart's electrical signals, it can be seen in the forms of ==Atrial fibrillation (A-Fib)== which is not generally dangerous, and ==Ventricular Fibrillation (V-Fib)== which is very dangerous and needs immediate attention.
In summary, the heart would not be able to support the lengthy and difficult task of pumping blood for around a century throughout a living, breathing, and moving creature if it weren't for the automaticity of the many electrical signals of the heart and nervous system. The best take-away from this (for me) is that when nobody has your back, and if you start to wonder if anyone will be there for you at all times, think of your absolute wingman of a heart.
Sources: clevelandclinic.org https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/22920-asystole
NIH.gov https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/atrial-fibrillation
cedars-sinai.org https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/i/inappropriate-sinus-tachycardia.html#:~:text=The%20SA%20node%20receives%20signals,or%20with%20anxiety%20or%20stress.