Heart Disease

A properly functioning pulmonary valve does not leak much, and it keeps the blood flowing in one direction - from the heart’s lower right pumping chamber (the right ventricle) into the major vessel (pulmonary artery) that connects to the lungs.... Full Answer

Yes, hybrid surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome offers some potential advantages to the traditional approach of multiple staged open-heart surgeries. •The hybrid surgery reduces the number of open-heart surgeries the baby needs from three to... Full Answer

Hybrid treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLH, unites open-heart surgery with procedures performed through a catheter - a thin, flexible tube inserted into your child’s blood vessels to reach the heart. The doctor who specializes in... Full Answer

For some types of holes between the bottom chambers of the heart (called  ventricular septal defect, or VSD), a hybrid procedure may unite the strengths of open-heart surgery with less invasive procedures performed through a catheter. In a hybrid... Full Answer

Mitral stenosis is a narrowing of the mitral valve. The mitral valve is one of four valves that regulate blood flow through the heart. It lies between the left upper and left lower cardiac chambers. When the mitral valve is narrowed, blood flow to the... Full Answer

Lifestyle management for people with heart disease is management of behaviors to reduce cardiac risk factors. Lifestyle management includes managing exercise, diet, weight, and stress. It is an important part of heart disease treatment. Full Answer

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an intracardiac defects, or "holes in the heart". It is an abnormal openings in the wall (septum) that separates the two atria, or upper chambers, of the heart. PFO results when a normal opening in the septum fails to close... Full Answer

A ventricular septal defect, or VSD, is an opening in the septum, or wall, which separates the two ventricles (lower chambers) of the heart. Normally, the right ventricle fills with oxygen-poor blood from the right atrium, one of the two upper... Full Answer

Heart disease becomes more common with age in both men and women. More than four in five people who die from heart attacks are over age 65. In men, risk begins to mount beyond age 45, whereas women's risk rises after age 55. By middle age, almost... Full Answer

Coronary heart disease is caused by the hardening of arteries due to the build-up of plaque over time. High blood pressure is considered one of the primary risk factors for coronary heart disease. Blood pressure is the force your blood makes against the... Full Answer