Heart Rhythm Institute
Posted on December 1st, 2018
Cardioversion is a treatment used to restore a normal heart rhythm for patients who have an irregular rhythm, also called an arrhythmia. Cardioversion is primarily used to treat atrial fibrillation, or AFib, which is the most common heart rhythm issue. It can also be used to treat other irregular heart rhythms, such as atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia.
What is... Read More
Posted on November 1st, 2018
Technology continues to advance to give both patients and their physicians more health data. One such advancement is the addition of an electrocardiogram, or ECG, feature in some smart watches.
Many smart watches include a basic heart rate monitor, which on its own can be helpful in alerting the user to an abnormally high heart rate. Having an unusually high heart rate, especially when at rest,... Read More
Posted on October 1st, 2018
An abnormal heart rhythm, also called an arrhythmia, occurs when your beats too fast, too slow, or irregularly.
The heart is a complex organ involving valves, electrical nodes, and chambers that help blood move through your body. When it’s working properly, it’s a pretty impressive and powerful organ. But if something within your heart gets damaged or disrupted, it can change how your heart beats... Read More
Posted on September 15th, 2018
Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure used to open a narrowed or blocked blood vessel, which could be an artery that carries blood from the heart to the body or a vein that carries blood back to the heart.
The procedure may be used to treat patients with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, carotid artery stenosis, and... Read More
Posted on September 1st, 2018
A coronary angiogram is the most common type of cardiac catheterization used to diagnose heart conditions. Specifically, a coronary angiogram uses dye and an x-ray machine to look closely at the blood vessels in your heart to see if blood flow is restricted in any way.
Your doctor will likely perform several other diagnostic tests before recommending a coronary angiogram. Other tests may include... Read More
Posted on August 13th, 2018
Heart failure is a chronic condition where the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. It affects six million Americans, and more than 900,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. It’s not a sudden stoppage of the heart like cardiac arrest or blocked blood flow like a heart attack, but rather something that gets worse over time.
The heart tries to keep up in several ways,... Read More
Posted on August 3rd, 2018
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a relatively common condition affecting more than 80 million people in the United States. Untreated high blood pressure can result in heart attack, heart failure, stroke, aneurysm, vision loss, and other serious conditions.
As your heart beats and blood moves through your body, it pushes against the sides of your blood vessels. The strength at which... Read More
Posted on July 23rd, 2018
Atherosclerosis is a condition affecting the arteries, which are responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your body. Atherosclerosis involves the buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances on the artery walls. The buildup is called plaque, and it can restrict blood flow in the body.
Reduced blood flow through your arteries means less oxygen supplied to the organs and... Read More
Posted on July 2nd, 2018
Atrial fibrillation (commonly known as AFib) is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the United States and affects approximately 5.5 million people. Symptoms include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, light-headedness, dizziness, and sometimes passing out.
On its own, atrial fibrillation is not generally a life threatening condition, but it can cause stroke or congestive heart... Read More
Posted on June 15th, 2018
Myocarditis is a rare but serious disease involving inflammation of the heart muscle, or myocardium. Myocarditis can cause damage to the heart muscle and may affect the heart’s electrical system, which can reduce the heart’s ability to pump blood and cause rapid or abnormal heart rhythms.
What causes myocarditis?
Most cases of myocarditis are caused by a viral infection, and it... Read More