Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter In atrial fibrillation and flutter, the atria (the two upper chambers of the heart) contract (beat) irregularly and are not synchronized with the contractions (beating) of the ventricles (the two lower, pumping chambers of the heart).…
Cardiac Arrest Cardiac arrest means that the heart is beating ineffectively or has stopped beating. Possible causes of cardiac arrest include ventricular tachycardia (a rapid, ineffective heartbeat originating in the ventricles), ventricular fibrillation (a disorganized, ineffective attempt by the ventricles…
Arrhythmias A normal heart rate for a person who is resting is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, with some minor variations. The two major types of arrhythmias are bradycardias, in which the resting heartbeat is slower than 60…
Congestive Heart Failure Congestive heart failure develops when the heart is weakened and is no longer able to pump an adequate supply of blood to the lungs and other body tissues. Heart failure does not mean that the heart stops…
Heart Attack The heart needs a continuous supply of oxygen-rich blood from the coronary arteries to function properly. A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery is blocked, depriving part of the heart muscle of blood. The resulting damage to…
Heart disease Prevention Although heart disease can begin to develop early in life, symptoms usually do not appear until the disease has caused irreversible damage to the heart and blood vessels. Because of this, the best treatment for heart disease…
Heart disease Treatments If you have heart disease, your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment program designed to slow the progression of the disease and reduce your risk of developing potentially fatal complications such as a heart…
Heart disease Risk Factors A number of factors can increase your risk of heart disease. Although you cannot control risk factors such as age, gender, race, and family health history, you can control other risk factors by following a healthy…
