Heart failure does not mean that the heart has stopped working. It means that the heart muscle has become too weak to pump out the blood the body needs to perform normally. It can lead to shortness of breath, fatigue, edema and chest pain. Heart...
Pacemaker warning signs can alert a pacemaker patient to the potential complications or failure of his cardiac device. Pacemakers are small electronic mechanisms that surgeons implant into the upper chest of some cardiac patients. The devices can...
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 is a fatal and slowly progressing condition that affects millions worldwide. Regardless of the underlying causes of heart failure, it is defined by the American Heart Association as the inability of the heart to keep up with the...
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which your heart cannot pump an adequate amount of oxygen-rich blood to supply your body's tissues. Symptoms may include fatigue, irregular heartbeat, swelling in the feet and abdomen, wheezing and...
The potential benefits of a pacemaker include normalized heart rhythm and improved quality of life. Physicians recommend pacemakers for patients in varying degrees of cardiac distress, so the potential benefits of a pacemaker will vary, as well....
Heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, causes about 25 percent of deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. A number of different disease processes can cause heart disease,...
Cholesterol is the most important lipid, or fat, in the body. It is an integral component of cell membranes. All steroid hormones in the body are made from cholesterol including estrogen and testosterone. Cholesterol can be used by our bodies as...
A leaky valve in the heart, called valvular insufficiency or regurgitation, occurs when one of the valves becomes weak. This allows blood to flow backward instead of forward. According to Jeffrey R. Bender, M.D., congestive heart failure is a...
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not pump blood as efficiently as it should. This causes patients to become tired or fatigued more easily with exertion as well as fluid buildup in the legs and back. If severe, CHF...
Orthopnea refers to a symptom in which shortness of breath occurs while lying down. This can cause people to awake in the middle of the night in order to catch their breath. Sometimes, orthopnea is a sign of an underlying medical problem. There...
The liver is responsible for breaking down glucose and making proteins. Unfortunately, an enlarged liver, medically known as hepatomegaly, can be a sign of an underlying medical problem. Typically, a physician discovers this upon physical...
Many different disease processes can cause a heart condition. Inherited abnormalities and errors in the development of the heart while in the womb can lead to malfunctions and malformations of the heart. High blood pressure, elevated blood...
A second degree heart block is an interruption of the electrical pulses between the chambers of the heart. This occasionally results in skipped heart beats. Heart blocks are relatively rare but, according to the U.K's National Health Service,...
Pacemakers are inserted to help regulate the heart’s electrical system. If the heart rate is too slow patients can experience dizziness, trouble breathing and can even black out; in extreme cases, their heart can stop. A pacemaker...
Congestive heart failure (CHF) happens when the heart is structurally damaged and not strong enough to pump blood to the tissues of the body. Caused by coronary artery disease, high blood pressure or cardiomyopathy, fluid accumulates and backs...
An acute myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack, occurs when a blockage in one or more of the blood vessels leading to the heart muscle causes a disruption in the blood flow to the cardiac tissue. Without blood flow, oxygen cannot be...
While all types of cardiac pacemakers perform the same basic function, they vary in how that function is performed. Pacemakers are small, battery-operated devices that are surgically implanted into the chest. Once implanted, the pacemaker...
Treatment for heart failure--a disease in which the body does not receive enough blood from the heart due to weakness of the heart muscles or an inability of the heart to fill up with enough blood--involves taking medication, lifestyle changes or...
Left side heart failure develops when the left ventricle, the lower chamber of the heart, weakens and pumps less efficiently than it should. The normal amount of blood isn't pumped with each beat and blood backs up, first into the left atria, the...
Muscular degenerative diseases, or muscular dystrophies, are a group of hereditary diseases in which muscles are progressively destroyed. According to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," most are diagnosed early in life and lead to a...