What is angina pectoris? Angina is temporary pain or discomfort in the chest that occurs when not enough oxygen-carrying blood reaches your heart muscle. (The term &quot;angina&quot; means &quot;pain,&quot; while &quot;pectoris&quot; refers to the chest.)

Angina Pectoris (Chest Pain)

We rely on our arteries to carry oxygen-rich blood to all the organs, muscles and tissues of the body. Every beat of the heart sends more blood through the arteries; with the heart beating about 115,000 times every day, that&rsquo;s a lot of traffic. And 

Aneurysms: Deadly but Preventable

An aortic aneurysm forms in a weakened part of an aortic wall. Learn more from our experts about an aortic aneurysm.

An aortic aneurysm is a weakening in the wall of the aorta, which causes it to &ldquo;balloon&rdquo; or expand in size. Although an aneurysm can develop anywhere along the aorta, most occur in the section running through the abdomen (abdominal aneurysms). Others occur in the section that runs through the chest (thoracic aneurysms). 
 
Aneurysms are often found incidentally during evaluation of other problems since they commonly cause no pain or discomfort. They can silently enlarge for long periods of time without being identified. When the aneurysm gets too large, the wall of the blood vessel can split or tear (aortic dissection/dissecting aortic aneurysm) or even &ldquo;burst&rdquo; under the pressure (aortic rupture/ruptured aortic aneurysm). 
 
This content originally appeared online in &quot;The Patient Guide to Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery&quot; from the Society of Thoracic Surgery.

What is an aortic aneurysm?

Treating an aortic aneurysm is necessary to prevent it from rupturing.

Treating an aortic aneurysm is necessary to prevent it from rupturing. Listen as Charles Bailey, MD, of Brandon Regional Hospital, describes some considerations for treating aortic aneurysms.&nbsp;

Why do I need to treat an aortic aneurysm?

A small rubber band is placed around the tissue above the hemorrhoid to cut off its blood supply. Learn more from our experts about rubber band ligation and hemorrhoids.

The rubber band procedure strangles the hemorrhoid tissue so it will fall off. This procedure is used for inner hemorrhoids.

What is rubber band ligation for hemorrhoid removal?

Aortic aneurysms are part of the spectrum of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). An aneurysm occurs when cholesterol deposits cause a weakening of the blood vessel wall, which causes an enlargement. The majority of aortic aneurysms are completely without symptoms -- about 75 percent of patients who have aneurysms have no symptoms at all. Because of this, the aneurysms themselves are often found completely incidentally. A typical example of this is when a patient comes to the hospital with a kidney stone. The doctor gets an x-ray, or sometimes a computed tomography (CT) scan, and he or she finds an aneurysm in the abdominal aorta. At that point, the doctor will assess the aneurysm&#39;s size and location and decide which treatment, if any, makes the most sense.

What is endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR)? An aneurysm is an enlarged and weakened section of an artery. It can be dangerous because as it increases in size. Learn more from our experts about an endovascular aneurysm repair.

Endovascular aneurysm repair is a less invasive way than open surgery to repair an aneurysm in the blood vessel.

What is endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR)?

The vast majority of heart operations done in this country have excellent outcomes. Learn more from our experts about bypass surgery and its risks.

Bypass surgery is dangerous, but so is taking an airplane flight, climbing a ladder to change a light bulb, and driving your car to the grocery store. The vast&nbsp;majority of heart operations done in this country have excellent outcomes. As a surgeon, I don&rsquo;t use the term &ldquo;dangerous,&rdquo; but instead I talk to my patients about &ldquo;risks.&rdquo; Virtually everything we do in life has risks, and heart surgery is no different. Generally, doctors advise a patient to have heart surgery when the risks of not having surgery&nbsp;are greater than the risks of having the surgery. The&nbsp;probability of a bad outcome with heart surgery is, to some extent, related to the complexity of the operation required. Most of the risk, however, is determined by the patient&rsquo;s status going into the surgery. Does the patient have a lot of other chronic medical problems? Is the surgery an emergency? Is the patient elderly or frail? All of those factors, and others, are added together to determine the individual&rsquo;s risk. If you are being considered for heart surgery, your surgeon should have a discussion with you about the risks and benefits of surgery, prior to the operation.

Dr. Charles Powell, MD

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Learn More About Vascular Surgery

Angina Pectoris (Chest Pain)