Coronary arteries are vessels that provide oxygen-rich blood and other nutrients to the heart muscle. The two main coronary blood vessels, which branch from the body's main artery (aorta), are the right coronary artery (RCA) and the left coronary artery (LCA). The coronary arteries attach to and wrap around the heart's...

Heart failure means that your heart muscle doesn't pump as much blood as your body needs. Because your heart can't pump well, your heart and your body try to make up for it. This is called compensation. Your body has a remarkable ability to compensate for heart failure. The body may do such a good job that many people...

The coronary arteries deliver blood to the heart muscle. The blood provides a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients needed for the heart to stay healthy and work as it should. Supply and demand The coronary arteries regulate the supply of blood to your heart muscle depending on how much oxygen your heart needs at...

A heart transplant is a procedure in which a surgeon removes a diseased heart and replaces it with a donor heart. During a heart transplant, a mechanical pump circulates blood through the body while the surgeon removes the diseased heart and replaces it with a healthy heart from a recently deceased donor. The surgeon...

A coronary artery is narrowed or blocked Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery reroutes blood around narrowed or blocked arteries, increasing blood flow to the heart muscle tissue. Incision in the middle of the chest for open-heart surgery Bypass surgery is most often done as an open-heart surgery. The surgeon...

What is cardiac arrest? In cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops beating. This causes blood to stop pumping to the body. If the heartbeat is not restarted within minutes, the person will die. This problem is also called sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack, which happens when part of...

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a type of heart failure. It happens when the heart's lower left chamber (left ventricle) doesn't pump blood out to the body as well as it should. It's sometimes called systolic heart failure. This is because your left ventricle doesn't squeeze forcefully enough...

Discusses cardiac rehabilitation (rehab), which helps you feel better and reduce risk of future heart problems with exercise and lifestyle changes. Looks at rehab for people who have heart conditions such as heart attack, heart surgery, or heart failure.

Angina happens when there is not enough blood flow to the heart muscle. This low blood flow is often a result of coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease happens when fatty deposits called plaque (say "plak") build up inside your coronary arteries. This plaque may limit the amount of blood to your heart muscle...

Describes heart failure (congestive heart failure). Discusses common causes like hypertension and coronary artery disease. Has info on symptoms. Covers diagnostic tests and treatments. Discusses heart failure classification system and stages of CHF.

Cardiac tamponade is a condition caused by too much fluid in the space between the heart and the sac that surrounds it, called the pericardium. This fluid collection can put weight and pressure on the heart, which means that it cannot expand properly and so it does not fill with normal amounts of blood. If the heart...

Joan figured she would need months to recover physically from the heart attack 2 years ago that led to her heart failure. She didn't realize she would need just as much time to recover emotionally. "I was only 52 when I had the heart attack," she says. "Heart disease runs in my family, but I thought I'd been taking care...

What is dilated cardiomyopathy? Dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious condition that weakens your heart muscle and causes it to stretch, or dilate. When your heart muscle is weak, it can't pump out blood as well as it should. More blood stays in your heart after each heartbeat. As more blood fills and stays in the heart...

Helps you calculate your target heart rate based on your age, resting heart rate, and activity level. Covers using your target heart rate to know how hard to exercise to gain the most aerobic benefit from your workout.

Cardiac catheterization is a procedure your doctor uses to see images and get information about your child's heart and blood vessels from the inside. It can also be done to repair some congenital heart defects. This is a kind of heart problem that your child is born with. Your doctor doesn't need to make any cuts to do...

Courtesy of Intermountain Medical Imaging, Boise, Idaho. All rights reserved. Cardiac catheterization is done in the cardiac catheterization laboratory ("cath lab") by a cardiologist. Some of the tests and procedures that are done in a cath lab include: Testing for heart disease with an angiogram. Treating heart disease...

You can help keep your heart and blood vessels healthy by having a heart-healthy lifestyle. These healthy habits include eating healthy, being active, staying at a weight that's healthy for you, getting the screening tests you need, and not smoking. A heart-healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, not just for...