Best Arizona Interventional Cardiologists

Heart Murmur
A heart murmur is an abnormal sound made by turbulent blood flow in the heart. Some adults and many children have incidental heart murmurs that are harmless (benign). At least 30% of children may have an innocent heart murmur at some point during childhood. However, some heart murmurs can signal an underlying heart problem.

Deep Vein Thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot in a vein deep in the body. Veins are blood vessels with valves that help prevent backward blood flow. Blood is pushed through the veins in legs and arms when muscles contract.

Heart Failure
In heart failure, the heart is unable to pump the right amount of blood throughout the body. This causes blood to back up in the veins. Depending on which part of the heart is affected most, this can lead to a build up of excess fluid in the lungs, feet, and elsewhere. Heart failure can worsen with time, which may lead to the use of many treatments. Because of this, doctors are aggressive in treating heart failure to try to prevent it from worsening.

Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy refers to heart muscle disease. The damaged heart does not effectively pump blood. The disease usually progresses to the point where patients develop life-threatening Heart Failure. In addition, people with cardiomyopathy are more likely to have irregular heartbeats or Arrhythmias.

Coronary Artery Disease CAD
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Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Coronary Artery Disease is caused by a narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood. This narrowing is a result of Atherosclerosis -the buildup of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the arteries. When the arteries narrow, blood flow is reduced. The reduced blood flow causes the heart muscle to receive less oxygen then it needs to function properly. This is termed ischemia. When ischemia occurs patients typically develop angina or chest pain originating from the heart. If the blood flow is completely cut off, a Heart Attack (myocardial infarction) will occur, and the heart muscle will be permanently damaged.

Congestive Heart Failure
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Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. The term “heart failure” should not be confused with “heart attack.” Heart failure occurs after the heart muscle has been damaged or weakened by another primary cause, such as High Blood Pressure , Coronary Artery Disease , or certain kinds of infections. Depending on the cause, heart failure can occur gradually, over many years, while the heart tries to compensate for its loss of function, or it may occur more quickly if a lot of the heart muscle is damaged at once.

Heart Attack
A Heart Attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is interrupted. This deprives the heart muscle of oxygen, causing tissue damage or tissue death. Other names for heart attack include coronary attack, myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis, and coronary occlusion.

Peripheral Artery Disease
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Arteries carry blood to all the organs of your body. Therefore, any condition that damages arteries can damage the organs to which they supply blood, such as the heart or brain.

Heart Block
The heart is comprised of four chambers: two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). The sinoatrial (SA) node, located near the top of the right atrium, produces electrical signals that are sent to the atrioventricular (AV) node. The AV node then sends the signals to the ventricles, which are the primary pumping chambers of the heart. When the heart is functioning well, the electrical signals are transmitted smoothly from the atria to the ventricles, causing rhythmic muscle contractions that pump blood to the rest of the body.

Renal Artery Stenosis
The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs that filter and remove waste from the blood. Stenosis is narrowing that restricts an opening. Renal artery stenosis occurs when a kidney (renal) artery narrows, causing a decrease in blood flow to that kidney.