It is a type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, a condition produced when myocardium, the heart muscle, weakens when there is inadequate oxygen supply. It is characterized by the systolic dysfunction of left ventricle in the absence of coronary artery diseases. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is frequently triggered by an acute medical illness or excessive stress. It could be…
Dronedarone is a medication used to treat two kinds of heart disorders: atrial fibrillation or the fast and irregular beating of the heart and atrial flutter or the fast but regular beating of the heart. These two occur in the upper atria or upper chambers of the heart. Patients with these conditions experience irregular heart…
Stents are small expandable wire like tubes that are meant to be inserted permanently into the artery during the angioplasty surgery. Angioplasty is a surgery done to widen the narrowed coronary artery. Angioplasty is preferred to bypass surgery since it is less invasive. For angioplasty to be performed, it requires a thin tube called the…
A common misconception about cigarette smoking is that it causes breathing problems and lung cancer, but only few smokers realize that cigarette smoking is also responsible for some of the major cardiovascular diseases (CVD) – diseases relating to the heart and the circulatory system. Whenever a person smokes a cigarette, the chemicals present in tobacco…
There are a number of definitions on Beta Blockers (also written as β Blockers). “Beta Blockers are a class of heart drugs that block the effect of adrenaline on the heart”. “Beta Blockers are front-line drugs for cardiac patients especially for those with angina, arrhythmias or post-myocardial infarction.” “Beta Blockers are a family of medicines…
Varicose veins are enlarged and tortuous veins, most commonly in leg but may be found elsewhere. There are two, superficial and deep, venous systems in our leg. The blood from the superficial veins is drained into the deep veins by network of one way valves. Deep veins are high pressure system being with in muscles,…
Stroke is a worldwide problem with high incidence, mortality, disability rates, and costs. A stroke (sometimes called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA)) is damage to the brain caused by an interruption to it’s blood supply or rupture of a blood vessel causing leakage of blood into the brain. As a result, the affected area of the…
Myocardial infarction (heart attack) can occur as a result of diminished blood supply to the heart muscles. It can happen as a result of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries,which supplies blood to the heart muscles or myocardium. For many a years and even now the first line of treatment opted is angioplasty and the placement…
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is said to have occurred, when the large blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart and supplies to the abdomen, pelvis and legs, dilates or bulges. This localised dilatation of the abdominal aorta exceeds the normal diameter by more than 50 percent. Aneurysms also occur in other areas of…
Angiontensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors or ACE inhibitors are a group of medicines that are said to have been historically developed from the venom of a poisonous snake found in Brazil. Nowadays this wonder drug can easily be prepared in laboratories. It is mainly used in the treatment of hypertension and disorders related to the kidney…