What is an enlarged aorta? An aortic aneurysm is the abnormal enlargement of a portion of the aorta. It arises when a segment of the vessel wall is weakened due to any number of factors and this causes a bulging. This can be a balloon-like bulge known as a saccular aneurysm or a widening of an entire segment of the aorta >> Read More ...
What is the aorta? The aorta is the artery that carries oxygen-rich blood out of the left ventricle of the heart. As the largest artery in the body, it has many branches which helps to distribute the oxygenated blood to organs and tissues. Typically the aorta starts from the top of the heart (ascending aorta), curves (arch >> Read More ...
What is Pulmonary Embolism? A blood clot in the lung is known as a pulmonary embolism. There is often confusion among patients as to the exact location of the clot – despite being commonly referred to as a blood clot in the lung, the clot is not within the air spaces of the lungs. Instead it is lodged in the >> Read More ...
What is pericarditis? Pericarditis is the term for inflammation of the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart and root of the great blood vessels. This protective sac has two layers, between which is a small amount of pericardial fluid that helps with lubrication. Pericarditis may arise as a result of an infection, >> Read More ...
Heart valve disease, also known as valvular heart disease, is a condition where the valves of the heart do not function properly thereby affecting the normal circulation through the heart ad great vessels. The normal function of the tricuspid, mitral, aortic and pulmonary valves are discussed further under Heart Valves >> Read More ...
The heart has four chambers – two atria (right and left) and two ventricles (right and left). Blood from the rest of the body or the lungs enters the right and left atrium respectively. The atria then pushes the blood into the ventricles. The more muscular ventricle wall contracts sending the blood into the pulmonary >> Read More ...
Chest Pain in Heart Attack Chest pain associated with a heart attack (myocardial infarction) is often described as tightness, pressure, squeezing or crushing chest pain. It is usually central, located just behind the breastbone (retrosternal chest pain, breastbone pain) on the anterior surface of the chest. In a patient at >> Read More ...
What are blood vessels? Blood vessels are the specially designed tubes that carry blood throughout the body. The vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the different areas of the body are known as arteries (singular ~ artery) while those vessels that carry oxygen-deficient blood back to the heart are known >> Read More ...
There are various types of diseases of the heart and great blood vessels that may cause a wide array of signs and symptoms. However the more common signs and symptoms of heart disease includes : Chest discomfort or chest pain Shortness of breath (dyspnea) Dizziness and/or fainting Edema (swelling) Other symptoms like >> Read More ...
The pulse is a palpable pressure wave in response to contractions of the heart (systole). As blood is forcefully pushed out of the heart, the elastic artery walls distend to accommodate the blood and rebounds to keep the blood flowing at pressure. This creates a pressure pulse that is easily felt on the superficial >> Read More ...
