Venous Thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism causes substantial disability and death. The incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is about 1 per 1000 person years. The most serious and potentially preventable complication, pulmonary embolus, kills an estimated 50,000 Americans each  year. Venous stasis secondary to chronic valvular incompetence, of- ten a consequence of venous thrombosis, causes varying degrees of pain, edema, and ulceration....

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What Are Stents?

Excerpted from “ Stent,” by the National Heart, Lung, andBlood Institute (NHLBI, www.nhlbi.nih.gov), part of the NationalInstitutes of Health, July 2009. A stent could be a tiny mesh tube that’s used to treat narrowed or weakened arteries within the body. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood off from your heart to different components of your body. you will have a stent placed in an artery as a part of a procedure referred to as angioplasty....

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Overview of Heart Surgery

Excerpted from “Heart Surgery,” by the National Heart,Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI, www.nhlbi.nih.gov), part of the National Institutes of Health, September 2007. Heart surgery is done to correct problems with the heart. More than half a million heart surgeries are done each year in the United States for a variety of heart problems. Heart surgery is used to correct heart problems in children and adults. This text...

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Cardiac Rehabilitation

           Cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) is a medically supervised program that helps improve the health and well-being of people who have heart problems. Rehab programs include exercise training, education on heart- healthy living, and counseling to reduce stress and help you return to an active life.Cardiac rehab helps people who have heart problems do the following:• Recover after a heart attack...

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Heart Valve Surgery

“Heart valve surgery,” © 2009 A.D.A.M., Inc.Reprinted with permission.Heart valve surgery is used to repair or replace diseased heart valves.DescriptionThere are four valves in your heart:1. Aortic valve2. Mitral valve3. Tricuspid valve4. Pulmonary valveThe valves control the direction of blood flow through your heart. The opening and closing of the heart valves produce the sound of the heartbeat. Heart valve surgery is open-heart...

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Coronary Angioplasty

Coronary angioplasty is a medical procedure in which a balloon is used to open a blockage in a coronary (heart) artery narrowed by atherosclerosis. This procedure improves blood flow to the heart. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which a material called plaque builds up on the inner walls of the arteries. This can happen in any artery, including the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries carry          ...

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Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

         Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a type of surgery called revascularization, used to improve blood flow to the heart in people with severe coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle (the coronary arteries) become blocked due to the buildup of a material called plaque on the inside of the blood vessels. If the blockage is severe, chest...

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