As much as I may not want to admit it, there are other things that can cause chest pain other than issues with your cardiovascular system. Most of these things annoy me because they don’t deal with the heart but I can’t deny that they are important. We will spend this post reviewing some of […]
Chest Pain – Part 2 – More Chest Pains
When we last spoke, we were discussing angina. We now know what it usually feels like and what it usually means. But there are many other reason to have chest pain, some dangerous and some not. We will spend the next bit of our time today discussing some causes of chest pain not related to […]
Chest Pain – Part 1 – Angina
Chest pain is one of the most frightening symptoms that a person can experience. The problem is that not all chest pain is dangerous and not all chest pains are created equal. Some chest pain such as that associated with a heart attack, can be very dangerous. What makes things worse is that each person […]
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 6 – Getting To The Bottom Of It
By Mustafa Ahmed MD MVP – Controversy and Frustration There are very few conditions that have drawn as much controversy and as much frustration for patients and physicians over the years as mitral valve prolapse. On one hand, if anyone with MVP asks a physician what the significance of their mitral valve prolapse is, they […]
Aortic stenosis – What Is It?
By Julian Booker MD Our body’s primary artery, the aorta, supplies blood to the entire body. The aortic valve allows blood to flow from the heart into the aorta but prevents blood from leaking back into the heart. In aortic stenosis, sometimes called aortic valve stenosis, the aortic valve does not open normally. This […]
Cardiac Biomarkers – Is It All About Troponin?
Question asked by @Saroonahadnan via Twitter: I have question about…what is the first cardiac marker in a heart attack? A troponin or CK-MB? Appreciate your help. Answered by Dr. Guichard: There are three generally accepted cardiac biomarkers that are analyzed as a panel – creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase MB isoform (CK-MB), and cardiac troponin […]
PFO anyone?
By Julian Booker MD Help!! It’s an emergency!! I have a hole in my heart!! My last doctor performed an echocardiogram and told me I have a patent foramen ovale (PFO). What does this mean? More importantly, what does this mean for me? The foramen ovale is a shunt that is a necessary component of […]
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 5 – How Common is it?
Before reading this, if you haven’t read the first few posts, go ahead and read them so you have a good understanding of what mitral valve prolapse is, and how the valve is affected. Mitral valve prolapse has had several names over the years, including floppy valve syndrome, click syndrome, and click murmur syndrome. Up […]
Heart Failure – How Much Salt Can I Eat?
By Jason L. Guichard MD, PhD Even though the term “heart failure” sounds incurable and fatal, most patients with heart failure are still able to live long and healthy lives. The key to heart failure management is early diagnosis and treatment, including lifestyle changes. The treatment of heart failure is complex and individualized to each […]
Is it safe to take Viagra with my heart medications?
Sexual activity plays a crucial role in the psychological health and quality of life scores in patients with cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, intimacy is frequently an issue in patient with cardiovascular disease. The causes of sexual dysfunction following myocardial infarction are multiple and include anxiety, depression, medication effect and vascular insufficiency. Regardless of the cause, the […]