Search Media Items

After the procedure to place a coronary stent, carotid stent, or airway stent, you will recover in the hospital for a few hours or overnight. For stent grafts, you may be in the hospital for a longer time. Although not common, you may also experience complications from the stenting procedure.

The TAH replaces the lower chambers of the heart, called ventricles. Tubes connect the TAH to a power source that is outside the body. The TAH then pumps blood through the heart’s major artery to the lungs and the rest of the body.

Typically doctors screen for atrial fibrillation only when you have symptoms. However, your doctor may check for signs of atrial fibrillation as part of your regular medical care. Screening tests include checking your pulse or recording your heart’s electrical activity.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. Learn more about how the causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of ischemic heart disease may be different for women than for men.

If you have known risk factors for developing an aortic aneurysm, your doctor may recommend screening. To screen for an aortic aneurysm, your doctor may recommend an imaging study to look at and measure the aorta. An aneurysm can develop and grow without any symptoms until it ruptures or dissects—events that are both life-threatening. If the aneurysm is found early, treatment or surgery may slow its growth and prevent rupture or dissection.

Sometimes VTE does not cause symptoms until serious complications occur. In other cases, deep vein thrombosis causes swelling or discomfort near the blood clot. Pulmonary embolism can cause chest pain and difficulty breathing. Pulmonary embolism can be a life-threatening condition.

People who do not know whether they carry an abnormal hemoglobin gene can ask their doctor to have their blood tested. Couples who are planning to have children and know that they are at risk of having a child with sickle cell disease may want to meet with a genetic counselor.

Treatment for bleeding disorders will vary depending on the disorder and may include medicines and factor replacement therapy. Your treatment may be every day to prevent bleeding episodes, or as needed when you plan for surgery or have an accident. You may not need treatment if your bleeding disorder is mild.

Strokes are medical emergencies and treatment needs to begin immediately. Depending on the type of stroke, treatment may include medicines (such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) or anticoagulants/antiplatelets) and procedures (such as carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery angioplasty). Surgery—such as aneurysm clipping and coil embolization or arteriovenous malformation repair—may be needed to treat a hemorrhagic stroke. Making lifestyle changes can help treat and control risk factors for a stroke.

If you’ve already had sudden cardiac arrest, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator reduces the chances of dying from a second sudden cardiac arrest. If you have not yet had sudden cardiac arrest but have severe coronary heart disease, your doctor may prescribe a beta blocker or statin. Following a healthy lifestyle can help you lower your risk for sudden cardiac arrest, coronary heart disease, and other heart problems.