Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, and once the blood has delivered oxygen to all organs and tissues, it returns to the right side of the heart. It passes through the right atrium, or upper chamber of the heart,...
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a form of high blood pressure isolated to the arteries running from your heart to your lungs. The arteries tighten, stiffen or develop clots, narrowing the blood vessels and making it difficult for the heart to...
One of the most serious progressive disorders, primarily affecting young women, is pulmonary artery hypertension, or PAH. PAH results from increased and sustained high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, which increase the strain on the heart...
Interstitial lung diseases represent many different conditions; some have a known cause like asbestos, while others have an unknown cause like progressive systemic sclerosis, or scleroderma. ILD occurs in approximately 75 percent of patients with...
A pulmonary artery stent is a small tube made of a wire mesh material. A stent is used to open the pulmonary artery when it is too narrow and is a type of treatment that may be used for pulmonary artery stenosis. Exercising can usually be resumed...
Pulmonary hypertension is a condition in which the arteries that supply blood to the lungs are strained, causing high blood pressure. This condition inhibits oxygen supply to your body, and forces your heart to work harder than necessary to pump...
The heart is part of the larger circulatory system. It is a large muscle that pumps blood to the lungs and the body using different blood vessels. It is important to know some basic anatomy to fully understand how the system works.
The pulmonary (lung) circulation refers to a set of blood vessels composed of arteries, veins and capillaries (small blood vessels). Specifically, the pulmonary arteries lead to the lungs while the pulmonary veins leave the lungs. Sometimes, the...
Elevated pressure in the main artery to the lungs is termed pulmonary arterial hypertension or PAH. This rare disorder carries a poor prognosis and there is no cure. Many cases have no identifiable cause. However, there is an inherited form, and...
Pulmonary hypertension is a serious medical condition marked by high blood pressure in the arteries supplying blood to the lungs. According to the American Heart Association, most people with pulmonary hypertension are able to lead active, normal...
Lung scarring usually occurs when scar tissue forms within the lungs or near the blood vessels surrounding the lungs. A previous lung infection, such as pneumonia, as well as fungal infections and certain medical conditions, such as cystic...
Pulmonary hypertension is basically high blood pressure isolated to the arteries in your lungs. It's often the result of a thickening along the pulmonary arterial walls, which narrows these blood vessels and restricts blood flow. As your vessels...
The presence of a blood clot in the lung that causes a partial or complete blockage is called a pulmonary embolism. The blood clot usually travels from another part of the body, most commonly a vein in the leg, and deposits itself in an artery in...
There are several types of hypertension diseases. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), hypertension is the medical term for prolonged, elevated blood pressure. Hypertension can often be...
The heart is a pump with four chambers; the top chambers, the left and right atria, are the entry point into the heart for blood. After blood moves down into the left and right ventricles, it's pumped out and away from the heart. Blood leaves the...
Tracleer (bosentan) is a medication used to manage pulmonary (of the lungs) arterial hypertension (high blood pressure). Signs of pulmonary arterial hypertension include chest pain, fatigue and weakness. According to MedlinePlus, Tracleer is an...
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) refers to a condition in which there is high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. These arteries carry blood from the heart to the lungs to retrieve oxygen. Patients suffering from PH may experience shortness of...
The heart is one of the most important organs in your body. It lies in the center of your thoracic cavity in a sac called the pericardium. Within this sac it contracts freely to pump blood to your lungs for oxygenation. It pumps the oxygenated...
Pulmonary arteries carry blood from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen. Hypertension is elevated or high blood pressure. When the pressure becomes elevated in the pulmonary arteries, it is a condition called pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary...
Pulmonary hypertension is a condition where pulmonary artery blood pressure, or blood pressure in the major blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs, is abnormally elevated. Elevated pressure in the pulmonary arteries causes increased...
Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart problem which results in blood that is low in oxygen being pumped throughout the body. This can cause babies to be slightly blue in color, also known as cyanosis.
Blood vessels can be grouped into three categories: arteries, veins and capillaries. Arteries are the blood vessels that transfer blood away from the heart to the organs. They are the thickest of the blood vessels because they carry the blood...
The cardiovascular system is a complex network of structures that work together to respond instantaneously to changes in the body. Comprised of a two-sided pump, a network of transport vesicles and a fluid medium, these structures must work...
The circulatory system is a closed network of transport vessels responsible for delivering nutrients and removing waste products from all body systems. Shirley A. Jones's "Pocket Anatomy and Physiology" provides a pictorial guide illustrating the...
Hypertension, in general, refers to an elevated level of blood pressure. Blood pressure is the amount of blood your heart pumps and the resistance to blood flow in your arteries. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, or mmHG. Blood...
Comprised of muscle, the organ we call the heart beats approximately 100,000 times a day and pumps over 1.5 million gallons of blood through the circulatory system every year. The heart has two atria and two ventricles---chambers that house the...
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels as it primary organs, and functions to circulate blood throughout the body. The American Heart Association explains that the main cardiovascular organ, the heart, pumps blood...
Blood vessels are hollow tubes that allow blood to flow throughout the body. If all the blood vessels of an adult, including the veins, arteries and capillaries, were laid end to end, they would stretch for 100,000 miles, according to information...
Swelling of the feet and ankles is usually due to a condition called edema, which is swelling caused by the accumulation of fluid in the body's tissues. Although swelling may not seem like a major health concern, edema usually occurs when major...
