There are several conditions that fall under the category of Acute Coronary Syndrome: two types of heart attacks called STEMI and NSTEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction) and unstable angina. Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is essentially a condition where the heart loses its blood supply. When this happens, the heart can stop functioning properly. This is a very serious condition which can rapidly lead to death. ACS is usually diagnosed in an emer ...

Angina is the medical name for chest pain caused by decreased blood flow to the muscles in the heart. Normally, blood is supplied to the heart muscle through arteries around the heart. As with all organs in the body, the heart requires the oxygen from blood in order to function properly. Plaques made partly of cholesterol can build in these arteries, a condition called coronary artery disease. These plaques make the arteries smaller and less able to provide blood to the heart muscle. A pers ...

Aortic coarctation is the medical name for a narrowing of part of the largest blood vessel in the body, the aorta. The aorta is the large blood vessel that comes off of the heart to deliver blood to the organs of the body. Narrowing of the aorta can be a problem because the size of the tube through which the blood can flow is smaller, causing the heart to have to pump harder to push the blood forward. Most often, coarctation of the aorta is a congenital condition (a condition present at birth ...

Aortic regurgitation is the medical term used to describe the backward flow of blood through the aortic valve. The aortic valve sits at the outlet of the left side of the heart (the left ventricle) and controls the flow of blood out of the heart and to the body. All of the four valves of the heart are designed to work like one-way valves to control the forward flow of blood. It is not unusual to have no symptoms from aortic regurgitation. If a person has symptoms, he or she generally feels f ...

Aortic stenosis is the medical term used to describe the tightening or narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart. This narrowing of the aortic valve decreases forward flow of blood in the heart. The aortic valve sits at the outlet of the left side of the heart (the left ventricle) and controls the flow of blood out of the heart and to the body. All of the four valves of the heart are designed to work like one-way valves to control the forward flow of blood. Sometimes, a person won’t have an ...

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat which may or may not have symptoms. An arrhythmia can cause the heart to beat irregularly, too fast, or too slow. The heart’s pumping motion is coordinated by electrical activity that moves in an organized fashion from the top of the heart (the sinus node) through the middle of the heart (the atrioventricular node) and to the bottom of the heart (through the bundle of His and Purkinje fibers). First the electrical impulse reaches the atria at the top whi ...

Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia or abnormal beating of the heart. Normally, the heart’s pumping motion is coordinated by electrical activity that moves in an organized fashion from the top of the heart (the sinus node) through the middle of the heart (the atrioventricular node) and to the bottom of the heart (through the Bundle of His and Purkinje fibers). First the electrical impulse reaches the atria at the top which causes them to contract, filling the ventricles with blood. Th ...

Atrial flutter is a type of arrhythmia or abnormal beating of the heart. Normally, the heart’s pumping motion is coordinated by electrical activity that moves in an organized fashion from the top of the heart (the sinus node) through the middle of the heart (the atrioventricular node) and to the bottom of the heart (through the Bundle of His and Purkinje fibers). First the electrical impulse reaches the atria at the top which causes them to contract, filling the ventricles with blood. Then, t ...

An atrial septal defect is a hole between the top two chambers of the heart. The heart is made of four chambers, the two upper chambers called the atria and the two lower chambers called the ventricles. Normally, oxygen-deficient blood moves from the body through the right atria to the right ventricle where it is pumped through the lungs to pick up oxygen. It then returns to the left atrium, through the left ventricle and is pumped back out to the body. An atrial septal defect is a hole betw ...

Myocardial infarction is the medical name for a heart attack. There are two types of heart attacks called STEMI and NSTEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction). A heart attack is a condition where the heart loses its blood supply and falls under the category of acute coronary syndrome. When this loss of blood supply happens, the heart can stop functioning properly. This is a very serious condition which can rapidly lead to death. A heart attack is ...