Inside your chest, there’s a special blood tube called the left internal mammary artery (LIMA). It runs down near your breastbone and helps bring blood to your chest. This artery is really strong and doesn’t clog up easily. Because of that, doctors often use it like a “spare pipe” when someone’s heart needs a bypass….
Your heart has little “doors” that open and close to let blood flow the right way. One of the most important doors is called the aortic valve. It’s the door between the big pumping room of your heart (the left ventricle) and the big tube (the aorta) that sends blood all around your body. Sometimes…
The left ventricle (LV) is the thick-walled, cone-shaped chamber of the heart responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood into the systemic circulation via the aorta. Positioned at the bottom left of the heart, it receives blood from the left atrium through the mitral valve, then contracts forcefully to generate the high pressures necessary to propel blood…
Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are pills that help lower your blood pressure. They do this by stopping a body chemical called angiotensin from tightening your blood vessels. When the vessels stay relaxed and open, it’s easier for blood to flow, so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. Some examples of these medicines are…
A heart attack happens when one of the blood tubes that feed your heart gets blocked, so the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen. It’s like when a garden hose gets pinched and the water can’t flow. The blocked part of your heart can start to hurt and die, causing chest pain and shortness of…
An atrial septal defect is a hole between the two top chambers of the heart. It means that the wall (septum) didn’t close all the way, so blood that just came from the lungs mixes with blood that still needs oxygen. This extra flow makes the right side of the heart and the lungs work…
An AICD is a tiny electronic device that doctors put under your skin near your collarbone. It watches your heartbeat all the time. If it notices your heart beating dangerously fast or out of control, it gives a quick electric shock to get your heart back to a normal beat. It’s like having a little…
Atrial fibrillation is when the top parts of your heart (the atria) shake instead of beating smoothly. This makes the heartbeat irregular and sometimes very fast, like a drum that can’t keep a steady beat. It can make you feel like your heart is fluttering, or you’re out of breath, tired, or dizzy. Because the…
Atrioventricular (AV) is a simple way to say “about both the top and bottom parts of the heart.” The top parts are called atria and the bottom parts are ventricles. There are special one-way doors (valves) between them and a tiny electrical switchboard (the AV node) that tells the heart when to squeeze. Together these…
Activated clotting time is a simple test that tells doctors how fast your blood makes a clot. They take a tiny sample of your blood, mix it with a special substance to start clotting, and see how many seconds it takes to form a clot. It is used during surgeries where you’re given blood thinners…