honeypot link
skip to main content
Professional
Consumer
MERCK MANUAL
Consumer Version
HEALTH TOPICS
HEALTHY LIVING
SYMPTOMS
EMERGENCIES
DRUG INFO
RESOURCES
COMMENTARY
ABOUT US
HEALTH TOPICS
HEALTHY LIVING
<
$name
Quick Facts: Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders
Expand all
Collapse all
Diagnosis of Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders
Electrocardiography
What is electrocardiography (ECG, EKG)?
Why would I need an ECG?
How is an ECG done?
Are there any side effects to an ECG?
What can my doctor learn from my ECG?
Should I carry a copy of my ECG?
Stress Testing
What is a stress test?
Why would I need a stress test?
How is a stress test done?
Are there any side effects to a stress test?
What can my doctor learn from the stress test?
Echocardiography and Other Ultrasound Procedures
What is echocardiography?
Why would I need an echo?
How is an echo done?
Are there any side effects to an echo?
What can my doctor learn from my echo?
Cardiac Catheterization
What is cardiac catheterization?
Why would I need cardiac catheterization?
How is cardiac catheterization done?
Treatment during cardiac catheterization
Are there any side effects to cardiac catheterization?
What can a doctor learn from cardiac catheterization?
Heart Failure
Heart Failure
What is heart failure?
Who can have heart failure?
What causes heart failure?
What are the symptoms of heart failure?
How can doctors tell if I have heart failure?
Can my doctor treat my heart failure?
What types of medicines can treat heart failure?
What can I do if I have heart failure?
Try to be more comfortable
Manage your medicines
Keep in touch with your doctor or health care team
Have a healthy lifestyle
How can I prevent heart failure?
Aneurysms and Aortic Dissection
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
What is an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
What causes an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
What are the symptoms of an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
How can doctors tell if I have an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
How do doctors treat an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
Surgery
Aortic Dissection
What is an aortic dissection?
What causes an aortic dissection?
What are the symptoms of aortic dissection?
How can doctors tell if I have an aortic dissection?
How do doctors treat an aortic dissection?
Surgery
Medicines
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms
What is a thoracic aortic aneurysm?
What causes thoracic aortic aneurysms?
What are the symptoms of a thoracic aortic aneurysm?
How can doctors tell if I have a thoracic aortic aneurysm?
How do doctors treat a thoracic aortic aneurysm?
Surgery
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
What is atherosclerosis?
What causes atherosclerosis?
What increases the risk of atherosclerosis?
What are the symptoms of atherosclerosis?
How can doctors tell if I have atherosclerosis?
How do doctors treat and prevent atherosclerosis?
Coronary Artery Disease
Overview of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
What is coronary artery disease?
What causes coronary artery disease?
What are the risk factors for coronary artery disease?
How can doctors tell if I have coronary artery disease?
How do doctors treat coronary artery disease?
How can I prevent or reverse coronary artery disease?
Change behaviors that may hurt your heart
Take your medicines correctly
Angina
What is angina?
What causes angina?
What are the symptoms of angina?
How can doctors tell if I have angina?
How do doctors treat angina?
Heart Attack
What is a heart attack?
What causes a heart attack?
What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
How can doctors tell if I have a heart attack?
How do doctors treat heart attacks?
Open blocked arteries
Treat the cause of your heart attack
How can I prevent a heart attack?
Change behaviors that may hurt your heart
Take your medicines correctly
Unstable Angina
What is unstable angina?
What causes unstable angina?
What are the symptoms of unstable angina?
How can doctors tell if I have unstable angina?
How do doctors treat unstable angina?
Treat the cause of your unstable angina
How can I prevent unstable angina?
Change behaviors that may hurt your heart
Take your medicines correctly
Venous Disorders
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
What is deep vein thrombosis?
What causes DVT?
What are the symptoms of DVT?
What are the complications of DVT?
How can doctors tell if I have DVT?
How do doctors treat DVT?
How can I prevent DVT?
Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Post-Thrombotic Syndrome
What are chronic venous insufficiency and post-thrombotic syndrome?
What causes chronic venous insufficiency?
What are the symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency?
How can doctors tell if I have chronic venous insufficiency?
How do doctors treat chronic venous insufficiency?
How can I prevent chronic venous insufficiency?
Varicose Veins
What are varicose veins?
What causes varicose veins?
What are the symptoms of varicose veins?
How can doctors tell if I have varicose veins?
How can doctors treat varicose veins?
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy
What is cardiomyopathy?
What are the types of cardiomyopathy?
What causes cardiomyopathy?
What are the symptoms of cardiomyopathy?
How can doctors tell if I have cardiomyopathy?
How do doctors treat cardiomyopathy?
High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure
What is high blood pressure?
How is blood pressure measured?
How do doctors define high blood pressure?
What causes high blood pressure?
What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?
How can doctors tell if I have high blood pressure?
Tests to check for high blood pressure
Tests if you have high blood pressure
How do doctors treat high blood pressure?
Behavior changes
Medicine
Peripheral Arterial Disease
Peripheral Arterial Disease
What is peripheral arterial disease?
What causes peripheral arterial disease?
What increases the risk of peripheral arterial disease?
What are the symptoms of peripheral arterial disease?
How can doctors tell if I have peripheral arterial disease?
How do doctors treat peripheral arterial disease?
How can I prevent peripheral arterial disease?
Aneurysms of Arteries in the Arms, Legs, Heart, and Brain
What is an aneurysm?
What causes aneurysms?
What are the symptoms of an aneurysm?
How can doctors tell if I have an aneurysm?
How do doctors treat aneurysms?
Raynaud Syndrome
What is Raynaud syndrome?
What causes Raynaud syndrome?
What are the symptoms of Raynaud syndrome?
How can doctors tell if I have Raynaud syndrome?
How do doctors treat Raynaud syndrome?
Low Blood Pressure and Shock
Shock
What is shock?
What causes shock?
What are the symptoms of shock?
How can doctors tell if I am in shock?
How do doctors treat shock?
Low Blood Pressure
What is low blood pressure?
How is blood pressure measured?
What causes low blood pressure?
What are the symptoms of low blood pressure?
How can doctors tell if I have low blood pressure?
How do doctors treat low blood pressure?
Sports and the Heart
Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes
What causes sudden cardiac death in athletes?
What are the symptoms of sudden cardiac death?
How can doctors tell if I am at risk for sudden cardiac death?
How do doctors treat sudden cardiac death?
Abnormal Heart Rhythms
Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter
What are atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter?
What causes atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter?
What are the symptoms of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter?
What are the complications of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter?
How can doctors tell if I have atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter?
How do doctors treat atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter?
What's an ablation procedure?
Premature Beats
What are premature beats?
What causes premature beats?
What are the symptoms of premature beats?
How can doctors tell if I have premature beats?
How do doctors treat premature beats?
Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT, PSVT)
What is paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)?
What causes SVT?
What are the symptoms of SVT?
How can doctors tell if I have SVT?
How do doctors treat SVT?
What's an ablation procedure?
Ventricular Tachycardia
What is ventricular tachycardia?
What causes ventricular tachycardia?
What are the symptoms of ventricular tachycardia?
What are the complications of ventricular tachycardia?
How can doctors tell if I have ventricular tachycardia?
How do doctors treat ventricular tachycardia?
Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome
What is Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome?
What are the symptoms of WPW syndrome?
How can doctors tell if I have WPW syndrome?
How do doctors treat WPW syndrome?
What's an ablation procedure?
Overview of Abnormal Heart Rhythms
What is an abnormal heart rhythm?
What controls my heart rhythm?
What causes abnormal heart rhythms?
What are the symptoms of an abnormal heart rhythm?
How can doctors tell if I have an abnormal heart rhythm?
How do doctors treat abnormal heart rhythms?
Heart Blocks
What is a heart block?
What causes a heart block?
What are the types of heart block?
What's an atrioventricular (AV) block?
What's a bundle branch block?
What are the symptoms of a heart block?
How can doctors tell if I have a heart block?
How do doctors treat a heart block?
Endocarditis
Infective Endocarditis
What is infective endocarditis?
What causes infective endocarditis?
What are the symptoms of infective endocarditis?
How can doctors tell if I have infective endocarditis?
How do doctors treat infective endocarditis?
How can I prevent infective endocarditis?
Heart Valve Disorders
Overview of Heart Valve Disorders
What are heart valves?
What are heart valve disorders?
What are the symptoms of heart valve disorders?
How can doctors tell if I have a heart valve disorder?
How do doctors treat heart valve disorders?
Aortic Regurgitation
What is aortic regurgitation?
What causes aortic regurgitation?
What are the symptoms of aortic regurgitation?
How can doctors tell if I have aortic regurgitation?
How do doctors treat aortic regurgitation?
Aortic Stenosis
What is aortic stenosis?
What causes aortic stenosis?
What are the symptoms of aortic stenosis?
How can doctors tell if I have aortic stenosis?
How do doctors treat aortic stenosis?
Mitral Regurgitation
What is mitral regurgitation?
What are the causes of mitral regurgitation?
What are the symptoms of mitral regurgitation?
How can doctors tell if I have mitral regurgitation?
How do doctors treat mitral regurgitation?
Mitral Stenosis
What is mitral stenosis?
What causes mitral stenosis?
What are symptoms of mitral stenosis?
How can doctors tell if I have mitral stenosis?
How do doctors treat mitral stenosis?
Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)
What is mitral valve prolapse?
What causes mitral valve prolapse?
What are the symptoms of mitral valve prolapse?
How can doctors tell if I have mitral valve prolapse?
How do doctors treat mitral valve prolapse?
Lymphatic Disorders
Overview of the Lymphatic System
What is the lymphatic system?
What is the immune system?
What can go wrong with the lymphatic system?
Swollen Lymph Nodes
What are swollen lymph nodes?
What causes swollen lymph nodes?
When should I see a doctor?
What will happen when I see the doctor?
How do doctors treat swollen lymph nodes?
Lymphedema
What is lymphedema?
What causes lymphedema?
What are the symptoms of lymphedema?
How can doctors tell if I have lymphedema?
How do doctors treat lymphedema?
Pericardial Disease
Acute Pericarditis
What is acute pericarditis?
What causes acute pericarditis?
What are the symptoms of acute pericarditis?
How can doctors tell if I have acute pericarditis?
How do doctors treat acute pericarditis?
Overview of Pericardial Disease
What is the pericardium?
What disorders affect the pericardium?
Biology of the Heart and Blood Vessels
Biology of the Heart
What is the heart?
How does the heart work?
What are the heart chambers?
What are heart valves for?
What is the heart's electrical system?
Why does the heart need its own blood vessels?
What can go wrong with the heart?
Biology of the Blood Vessels
What are blood vessels?
What can go wrong with blood vessels?
