Staying Informed is Staying Healthy

Heart disease is a broad term used to describe the various diseases that affect your heart. Such conditions include those that affect your heart’s muscle, valves or beating rhythm. Staying healthy means staying informed about different heart diseases that can affect you and your loved ones, and the surgical techniques that can be used to treat these conditions.

Aortic Disease

The aorta pumps oxygenated blood from the heart to all parts of the body. Although aortic disease is not the most common cause of heart disease, disorders of the aorta can be life threatening. Common aortic abnormalities include: aortic dissections, thoracic aortic aneurysms, and genetic disorders. Click here to learn more.

Aortic Valve Disease

The normal function of the Aortic Valve can be affected by many conditions or diseases such as rheumatic fever, infections, congenital birth defects, build-up of calcium deposits and the degeneration of the normal aging process. The two most common abnormalities of the aortic valve that requires surgery are aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation. Click here to learn more.

Arrhythmia

An arrhythmia is a disorder of the heart rate (pulse) or heart rhythm, such as beating too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia), or irregularly. Arrhythmias are caused by problems with the heart's electrical conduction system. Click here to learn more.

Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance. Although atrial fibrillation “seems” to be one disease, it is likely a common representation of several disorders of heart rhythm: an erratic, irregular, frequently rapid heartbeat. Click here to learn more.

Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart can no longer pump enough blood to the rest of the body. Click here to learn more.

Coronary Artery Disease

Normally, blood flows through a coronary artery unimpeded. However, cholesterol plaque can build-up, progressively narrowing the coronary arteries causing the flow of blood to the heart can slow or stop. Click here to learn more.

Mitral Valve Disease

The heart pumps thousands of gallons of oxygen-rich blood through the body. However, when valves fail to open fully or close completely, the flow of blood may be obstructed (stenosis) or the blood may “leak” or flow backwards (regurgitation). Common mitral valve diseases include: mitral stenosis, mitral valve prolapse and functional mitral regurgitation. Click here to learn more.