heart-letter
I recently had a pacemaker implanted. While the process was going on, I felt a pulsation. I still feel it months later. My primary care doctor thinks that my vagus nerve could have been damaged when the pacemaker was implanted. Is that possible?
In the past, people taking an antiplatelet medication were usually told to stop taking it temporarily before dental surgery, but doing so may increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke in the weeks following the procedure.
Everyone wants to believe that eating chocolate will offer some protection to the heart and arteries, but so far the mdeical evidence to support this idea isn’t there.
Abdominal fat cells are responsible for many cardiovascular problems.
I have had a leaking aortic valve for many years. I get an echocardiogram every six months. After the latest one, my doctor told me that my heart was enlarging. He wants me to have surgery to replace the valve. Should I do this at age 68?
A ventricular assist device helps boost the heart’s pumping capacity in people with advanced heart failure, allowing them to resume some normal mobility and activities.
Five poor heart habits are responsible for the majority of heart disease, but their opposite, healthy behaviors can help protect the heart and improve overall health.
Dr. Patrick O’Gara, a member of the Health Letter’s editorial board, talks about safety issues regarding the use of Plavix after angioplasty.
A bedlike device that shakes the body head-to-toe stimulates blood vessels and improves blood flow, which may benefit people with heart failure who have difficulty exercising.
Preconditioning the heart by using a blood pressure cuff to halt and release blood flow could protect heart muscle during surgery or a heart attack.