The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It sends blood with oxygen from the heart to the rest of the body. Some conditions, such as high blood pressure, can weaken an area of the aorta over time. This can cause a tear in the lining of that area. This most often happens in the part of the aorta closest to the heart. Less common is a tear in the lining of the abdominal aorta. An aortic dissection can also be caused by an aortic aneurysm.

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm. An arrhythmia happens when there is a problem with the electrical system that is supposed to control a steady heartbeat. With a problem in the electrical system, your heart may beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm.

Atherosclerosis is a disease process that affects the walls of the heart arteries and other arteries of the body. Inflammation and plaque buildup can lead to artery stiffness and narrowing. The condition can start as early as late childhood to early adulthood. It can affect arteries all over the body. It can lead to many health problems, depending on which arteries in the body are affected. Narrowed heart arteries may lead to a heart attack. Narrowed arteries that bring blood to the brain can cause a stroke.

Any disorder that affects the heart muscle is called a cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy causes the heart to lose its ability to pump blood well. In some cases, the heart rhythm also becomes disturbed. This leads to irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias).

CTO is a complete blockage of a coronary artery that has typically been present for three months or longer. This heart condition often causes chest pain, fatigue or shortness of breath. Your cardiology team uses minimally invasive techniques to restore blood flow and improve heart function. With personalized care for CTO, you can reduce symptoms, regain energy and improve your quality of life.

Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when your leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to your heart. Normally, the valves in your veins make sure that blood flows toward your heart. But when these valves don’t work well, blood can also flow backwards. This can cause blood to collect (pool) in your legs. Chronic venous insufficiency is not a serious health threat, but it can be painful.

The heart is a muscle that pumps oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the body. When you have heart failure, the heart can’t pump as well as it should. Or the heart muscle can’t relax and fill the pumping chamber with blood. Blood and fluid may back up into the lungs. This causes heart failure. Some parts of the body also don’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. This means they can't work well. These problems lead to the symptoms of heart failure, including shortness of breath, weight gain and swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, belly pain and cough.

A heart attack is also called a myocardial infarction (MI). It happens when one or more parts of the heart muscle don’t get enough oxygen. That occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is narrowed or blocked. If you're feeling the symptoms of chest discomfort, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, nausea, or pain in the neck, jaw or arms, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.

The heart makes sounds as it beats. These sounds occur as the heart valves open and close to allow blood to flow through the heart. A heart murmur is an extra noise heard during a heartbeat. The noise is caused when blood does not flow smoothly through the heart. Heart murmurs can be innocent (harmless) or abnormal (caused by a heart problem).

This heart condition affects one or more of the heart's valves. If blood doesn't flow properly when the heart valves open, the reasons can be leaky valves (regurgitation), too narrow (stenosis), or not opening properly (atresia). Heart and valve conditions can lead to a heart attack or progressive heart failure.

Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls. The force is made with each heartbeat as blood is pumped from the heart into the blood vessels. High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases the risk of heart disease.

High cholesterol is a condition caused by excess cholesterol, a waxy, fatty substance in your body, which can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries. If not treated, high cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Pericarditis occurs when the tissue surrounding the heart becomes inflamed, causing sharp chest pain, heart failure and fluid buildup around the heart. Infections, autoimmune disease and injury can cause this inflammation.