EXPLODE FUNCTION

EXPLODE allows your search to include more specific MeSH terms that are in the same family or tree as the original MeSH term. (The terms in a MeSH tree are indented under the broader term.)

When you explode a term, the system will automatically retrieve all of the citations indexed to that MeSH term, as well as all of the citations indexed to the terms indented under it.

In this case, exploding will include articles that are indexed to the generic term heart diseases, AND all of the specific kinds of heart diseases -- arrythmia, carcinoid heart disease, cardiac tamponade, cardiomegaly, endocarditis, and the rest of the terms in the heart diseases tree.

Rule of Thumb:
Exploding your term is almost always a good idea. Often, you will miss potentially relevant terms if you don't explode. Get into the habit of exploding your MeSH terms.

You do not need to explode every term in the tree. Instead, just explode the main term -- heart diseases.

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Tree for: Heart Diseases  Select Subject Heading  Hits   Explode   Focus      Heart Diseases 6195       Arrhythmia 4861         Carcinoid Heart Disease 49         Cardiac Output, High 25         Cardiac Output, Low 1302         Cardiac Tamponade 738       Cardiomegaly 1811       Endocarditis 582         Heart Aneurysm 594       Heart Arrest 2851       Heart Defects, Congenital 4662       Heart Failure, Congestive 10821         Heart Neoplasms 1793       Heart Rupture 152       Heart Valve Diseases 2193       Myocardial Diseases 2600       Myocardial Ischemia 9168         Pericardial Effusion 988       Pericarditis 561         Pneumopericardium 89         Postpericardiotomy Syndrome 25         Pulmonary Heart Disease 213         Rheumatic Heart Disease 600       Ventricular Dysfunction 306         Ventricular Outflow Obstruction 492

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