The coronary arteries are those blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with the blood, oxygen and nutrients necessary to keep it functioning. These blood vessels can become blocked with fatty buildup of plaque in a process called...
An estimated 785,000 Americans will suffer their first heart attack in 2010, predicts the American Heart Association. Timeliness of treatment and the extent of damage caused by the heart attack determine whether a non-surgical or surgical heart...
A cardiac stent is a tiny tube that is used to increase blood flow through clogged or blocked arteries within the heart. Typically, a stent is placed following angioplasty, a procedure that helps clear fatty plaques from inside a heart artery....
The arteries perform a vital function in maintaining heart health and overall body functioning. Heart disease, in the form of coronary artery damage is a direct result of arterial blockage from plaque buildup. Plaque is the accumulation of fat and...
The coronary arteries supply oxygenated blood to the heart so that it can carry out its vital function of pumping the needed blood to the rest of the body. A blocked coronary artery may lead to chest pain or a heart attack if left untreated....
The heart is a vital organ in the body, and lately, more attention has been given to the importance of its health. Heart rate variability (HRV) can change during rest and during exercise. Recent research shows that exercise can be beneficial in...
The World Health Organization reports that more people die from cardiovascular diseases than any other cause with about 17 million deaths in 2004. The projected total of deaths worldwide by 2030 is more than 23 million. Diseases and afflictions of...
Blood coagulates in the normal clotting process that keeps us from bleeding to death when we cut ourselves. But blood clots inside the blood vessels can travel to the brain, causing stroke, or to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolus (PE), a...
Blocked arteries, or atherosclerosis, is a medical condition where fatty substances collect along arterial walls. In addition, as the material hardens and thickens, it can lead to blocked arteries. Atherosclerosis affects the medium and large...
Coronary stents are often used in the treatment of atherosclerosis, which is best described as the accumulation of plaque along your arterial walls. When plaque builds up within the blood vessels, the arteries narrow, reducing blood flow to your...
Angioplasty is a procedure in which a small balloon is inflated inside the blood vessel to open it up. Angioplasty is sometimes combined with the placement of a stent. A stent is a small metal mesh tube that is placed on the outside of the balloon...
Stents are used to open blockages and obstructions in your arteries to increase blood flow. As an alternative to invasive heart surgery, where doctors must surgically open your chest, stents are inserted by typically using a vein in your leg to...
According to the American Heart Association, in 2006 alone, over 81 million Americans were diagnosed with heart disease. Heart attacks are no longer the disease of the elderly and cause one out of every three deaths, per the American Heart...
It can take decades for an artery to become blocked. However, once a blockage exists, symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain can signal reduced blood flow to the heart, a symptom of coronary artery disease. Treatments depend on the...
Heart disease refers to a medical problem that affects the heart and its blood vessels. The Mayo Clinic explains that heart disease is also known as cardiovascular disease, and is a potentially fatal condition in which blood vessels are blocked or...
Poor circulation in the feet, one problem in a group of conditions called peripheral vascular disease, commonly results from arteries in the leg that become more blocked over time. Risk factors for developing circulation problems affecting the...
Angioplasty is a form of treatment for coronary heart disease -- where your heart's arteries are blocked -- known as interventional cardiology. Interventional cardiology procedures involve the insertion of a thin tube known as a catheter to open...
Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease, is a condition in which the heart and blood vessels are diseased. The Mayo Clinic says that signs of coronary artery disease include shortness of breath, chest pain (angina), irregular...
Procedures to treat heart disease vary from minimally invasive outpatient ones to heart transplant surgery requiring a lengthy hospital stay and recovery time. Heart diseases that require intervention include heart failure, heart attack, blocked...
Heart disease is a relatively common health condition that affected more than 80 million Americans in 2006, according to the American Heart Association. One of the risk factors is hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. Plaque builds up on...
Vitamin B12, also named cobalamin, is a member of the B complex of vitamins. All the B vitamins, including vitamin B12 are water soluble, and excess amounts of vitamin B12 that are not used by the body are usually excreted in the urine. As a...
Dilatation or ballooning out of an artery is also known as an angioplasty. An angioplasty is performed to treat narrowed or blocked arteries. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, more than 1 million people in the U.S. have an...
A stent is a small mesh tube that is placed in a blocked or narrowed artery to prevent it from closing. As an artery narrows, the point of constriction affects the transport of blood, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke....
The foods you eat contribute to how clogged your arteries become over time. According to Jean Carper, author of "Food: Your Miracle Medicine," LDL, or harmful, cholesterol from your food combines with free radicals to create foamy deposits that...
Angioplasty is a surgical procedure used to open your blocked or narrowed arteries to improve blood flow to your heart. It is usually required in individuals with a history of atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque in blood vessels. High...
Cardiac diseases are disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. The American Heart Society describes the heart as a small muscular pump that continuously pumps blood through out the body. Blood vessels in the body help carry oxygen and...
If you are diagnosed with coronary artery disease, it may comfort you to know that billions of Americans suffer from the same condition. Coronary artery disease, also known as CAD, is a disease characterized by an insufficient blood supply to the...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the United States. With over 47 percent of heart attack victims dying before they reach emergency medical facilities, proper...
Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, there were at least 445,687 deaths in 2005 due to heart disease. Over 16 million experienced angina, a heart attack or some...
A heart attack or a myocardial infarction is usually marked by symptoms of pain in the chest, shoulder, jaw, or left arm, and shortness of breath. Learn more about the causes, symptoms and treatments of a heart attack in this health video.
