dextrocardia

1 9.9

A condition where the heart is on the right side of the chest

noun
/ˌdɛkstroʊˈkɑrdiə/

Specialized

: dextrocardia

Patients with dextrocardia may require special medical attention during surgery.

Examples

Dextrocardia with situs inversus.

The Broken (2008)
Is that another case of dextrocardia with situs inversus?

The Broken (2008)
The doctor explained that dextrocardia means the heart is on the right side of the chest.
In rare cases, dextrocardia can occur alongside other organ placements being reversed.

Surface Forms

dextrocardia singular

dextrocardias plural

Morphology

dextrocardia = cardia (opaque) = dextro + cardi + a

Formed from medical combining forms ('dextro-' = right, 'cardia' = heart) that are not familiar to average B1 learners, so the meaning is not guessable from common English vocabulary.

Etymology

Dextrocardia breaks into dextro- and -cardia, where dextro- means 'right', as in ambidextrous, and -cardia means 'heart'. So dextrocardia literally says 'right heart' and is used for the rare condition when the heart is on the right side of the chest.