Discusses heart murmur, an extra sound the blood makes as it flows through the heart. Covers harmless (innocent) murmurs and abnormal murmurs. Includes info on heart valve damage. Discusses tests by a cardiologist including electrocardiogram (ECG).

Discusses peripartum cardiomyopathy. Covers symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Also covers risk factors and prevention.

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...

The decision to have a limb amputated is difficult for the person and their doctor. Many times, extensive measures have been tried to save the limb. The major causes of amputation are diabetes and/or peripheral arterial disease that results in either painful, poor limb function or gangrene. In general, amputation is...

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...

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) means that the muscle of the heart's main pump (left ventricle) has become thick and enlarged. This can happen over time if the left ventricle has to work too hard. This part of the heart needs to be strong to...

What is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)? Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a fast heart rate (tachycardia) that starts after you stand up. This can cause symptoms such as dizziness or weakness. What causes it? Experts don't understand what causes it, but different body systems seem to...

In the normal heart, electrical impulses pace the rhythm at which the heart contracts and relaxes. The sinoatrial (SA) node triggers the electrical impulse, causing the upper chambers (atria) to contract. The signal travels through the atrioventricular (AV) node to the atrioventricular bundle, which divides into the...