The coronary arteries are the arteries that feed the heart. When they become blocked, they can cause chest pain or even a heart attack. Roughly one-third of patients with blocked coronary arteries undergo balloon angioplasty with stenting,...
The heart is the power generator for the body that allows for blood, oxygen and nutrients to be sent to different organs. When the heart malfunctions and is unable to perform this task, this condition is known as heart failure. This might be due...
Coronary artery bypass surgery is usually reserved for patients with multiple sites of disease in their coronary arteries. Patients with diabetes and poor heart function may do better with bypass surgery than with angioplasty, according to...
Four heart valves direct blood flow through the four chambers of the heart. On the right side of the heart, the tricuspid valve keeps blood flowing in the right direction between the atrium, the upper chamber, and ventricle, the lower chamber. The...
Congestive heart failure, also known as heart failure, is characterized by the heart’s inability to pump blood sufficiently to all parts of the body. Heart failure is the end result of cardiovascular disease. During a person’s...
In coronary artery disease, the blood vessels are usually obstructed with plaque, which is composed mainly of fats and cholesterol. The American Heart Association states that heart bypass surgery is performed in coronary artery disease to help...
Not all cardiac arrhythmias respond adequately to treatment with medication. In such instances, cardiac ablation is recommended and performed. During this procedure, specialized catheters are used to selectively eliminate the heart cells...
An enlarged heart, medically known as cardiomyopathy, is a condition in which the muscles in the heart gradually weaken. The Mayo Clinic says that cardiomyopathy symptoms include leg swelling, trouble breathing with exertion, fatigue and...
Heart failure occurs when the heart loses its ability to pump enough blood to the rest of the body. This often occurs because of lifestyle choices, such as being overweight, smoking, not getting enough exercise and not eating a healthy diet. Heart...
Heart surgery is performed for a variety of conditions. Bypassing blocked arteries, repairing valves, bulges or aneurysms, inserting pacemakers and heart transplantation are some of the reasons for heart surgery, according to MedlinePlus. Although...
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...
Heart bypass surgery is primarily used to treat coronary artery disease, a condition that occurs when the arteries that supply oxygen and blood to the heart narrow and harden, according to MedlinePlus. When a person has heart bypass surgery, a...
Heart valve replacement surgeries are used to treat patients with torn, obstructed or leaking valves that cannot be patched or repaired. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, research shows that more than one-third of those...
The heart has four functioning one-way valves; the aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid valves. These valves allow a measured amount of blood to flow from chamber to chamber in the heart and finally out to the aorta. When these valves become...
This year, according to the American Heart Association, 1.26 million people will have a heart attack. Heart attacks are caused by blockages in the coronary arteries. In order to get blood flow back to the arteries, heart bypass surgery is done....
Heart bypass surgery or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is commonly known as open-heart surgery. Typically, people with coronary artery disease in which vessels of the heart are blocked with hard build-up, called plaque, require heart bypass...
Coronary artery disease is a condition in which waxy plaque deposits build up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Affected patients can help prevent a heart attack and decrease chest discomfort through a surgical procedure called a...
The pericardium is a connective tissue layer, like a sac, that surrounds the heart. It contains a fluid that lubricates the outside of the heart. The pericardium is opened during cardiac bypass surgery in order to access the heart for the...
A heart bypass operation is so names as it actually bypasses the narrowed segment of the coronary artery, according to the Better Heart Channel. The coronary artery may become narrowed by the formation of fatty scars or scar tissue within it. To...
Complications after a heart attack may be temporary or may become chronic problems. The type and severity of complications depend on which part of the heart is affected by the heart attack, as well as how extensive the damage is. The presence of...
Congenital heart disease is a group of heart problems caused by a malformation of the heart that is present at birth. These are structural defects that affect the interior walls of the heart, the valves of the heart or the blood vessels that carry...
The tricuspid valve, mitral valve, pulmonic valve and aortic valve comprise the four valves in the heart that control the flow of blood from the upper heart chambers to the lower heart chambers, as well as to the lungs and the body. Complications...
The heart's pumping action ensures that blood is delivered to all parts of the body; the heart itself needs adequate blood supply to perform its functions effectively. The American College of Cardiology notes that ischemic heart disease can also...
The World Health Organization estimates that at least 15.6 million people have rheumatic heart disease. Rheumatic heart disease is caused by rheumatic fever and the associated inflammation of the heart. Andrew G. Moore M.D., co-author of "Mayo...
According to Medline Plus, heart bypass surgery creates a new route, or a bypass, to make sure that blood and oxygen reach the heart. The procedure is usually done to treat coronary artery disease (CAD). With heart bypass surgery, the normal blood...
Congestive heart failure, also known as heart failure, is a response to a cardiac dysfunction in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. When the heart cannot pump the blood necessary, it will cause a backup of...
When a heart valve is severely damaged or diseased, a surgeon may recommend replacement of the valve. This requires open heart surgery in order to access the valve and replace it. The patient will be given either a mechanical valve--one made...
Mayoclinic.org states that heart valves are vital to the proper functioning of the circulatory system as their function is to prevent the blood from regurgitating. Several diseases can destroy or damage valves. When the heart valve's function is...
Clogged, plaque-filled coronary arteries within the heart are unable to efficiently transport blood to the heart muscle and increase a patient's risk of having a heart attack. Bypass surgery of the heart is a procedure in which a clear, healthy...
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can develop as a rare complication of untreated or undertreated strep throat infection. Strep throat is caused by infection with group A streptococcus. Learn about the different causes, symptoms,...
Pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition that occurs when pancreatic digestive enzymes become active within the gland and attack the pancreas itself. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for pancreatitis in this...
Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that causes signs and symptoms ranging from rash and flu-like fever and body aches to more serious ones including joint swelling, weakness, fatigue and temporary paralysis. Lyme disease is caused by the...
How to do split squats in playground fitness in this free playground health video.
Cardiogenic shock is the result of inadequate circulation of blood due to ventricle failure; learn about cardiogenic shock in this heart healthy video.
