TMT is short for treadmill test. Treadmill is a device used for exercise testing. The subject walks on a motorized belt, the speed and gradient of which can be adjusted. There are various protocols for treadmill testing. One popular protocol is known as the Bruce protocol in which the initial slope (gradient) of the treadmill is 10 percent and the gradient increases in steps of 2 percent in each three minute stage. The initial speed is 1.7 miles per hour. It increases to 2.5 miles per hour in the second stage. So on it goes up to stage seven or as much as the subject can tolerate. Now a days the test is computerized so that the speed and gradient of the treadmill is controlled by a computer console which also monitors the ECGElectrocardiogram of the subject and displays it. The computerized console also measures the various ECGElectrocardiogram parameters and displays alerts if necessary. The blood pressure is measured and entered in the console by the operator. The test is conducted in the medical setting by a trained technician with resuscitatory equipment at hand in case of any untoward events.

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Friable heart tissue is seen in the early days after a heart attackDamage to a region of the heart muscle due to blockage of blood vessel supplying oxygenated blood till the scar formation is complete. This region is prone for rupture with a sudden increase in the pressure within the ventricular cavity. Cardiac rupture is immediately fatal unless contained by portion of the pericardiumOuter covering of the heart. Then it becomes a pseudo aneurysmA localized bulge in a blood vessel or a chamber of the heart, due to weakening of the wallA contained rupture in which the ruptured region of the heart muscle is covered by pericardiumOuter covering of the heart and has a blood clot inside..

These terms are used in connection with the heart muscle. AkinesiaAkinesia means lack of movement or contraction of a region of the heart muscle means lack of movement or contraction of a region of the heart muscle. DyskinesiaDyskinesia means an abnormal movement – instead of contracting in systole, that segment of myocardium bulges out in systole means an abnormal movement – instead of contracting in systole, that segment of myocardiumMiddle muscular layer of the heart bulges out in systole. Hypokinesiareduced movement, usually in relation to a segment of the myocardium means reduced movement or contraction of a segment of the heart muscle.

Not all. There are various grades of heart failure and many with reversible causes. When the cause of heart failure is transient and reversible, the long term results are good. A classical example is peripartum cardiomyopathyheart muscle diseaseheart muscle disease which occurs in late pregnancy or in the few months after delivery, heart muscle disease which occurs in late pregnancy or in the few months after delivery. If the immediate crisis of heart failure can be tided over by appropriate treatment, they have a near normal life span, though there is a risk of recurrence in subsequent pregnancies. Only those cases of severe heart failure not responding to treatment have a poor outcome. Even in those situations, we have artificial devices and heart transplantation to bail out.