Mar 24, 2022 · Oxygen-poor blood from the body enters your heart through two large veins called the superior and inferior vena cava. The blood enters the heart's right atrium and is pumped to your right ventricle, which in turn pumps the blood to your lungs. The pulmonary artery then carries the oxygen-poor blood from your heart to the lungs.

Mar 24, 2022 · Anatomy of the interior of the heart. This image shows the four chambers of the heart and the direction that blood flows through the heart. Oxygen-poor blood, shown in blue-purple, flows into the heart and is pumped out to the lungs. Then oxygen-rich blood, shown in red, is pumped out to the rest of the body, with the help of the heart valves.

Mar 24, 2022 · Children can also have heart failure, but this health topic focuses on heart failure in adults. Heart failure can develop suddenly (the acute kind) or over time as your heart gets weaker (the chronic kind). It can affect one or both sides of your heart. Left-sided and right-sided heart failure may have different causes.

Mar 24, 2022 · Left-sided heart failure is the main cause of right-sided heart failure. That’s because left-sided heart failure can cause blood to build up on the left side of your heart. The build-up of blood raises the pressure in the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your lungs. This is called pulmonary hypertension, and it can make the ...

Mar 24, 2022 · If you have mild heart failure, you may not notice any symptoms except during hard physical work. Symptoms can depend on whether you have left-sided or right-sided heart failure. However, you can have symptoms of both types. Symptoms usually get worse as your heart grows weaker. Heart failure can lead to serious and life-threatening complications.

Mar 24, 2022 · Right-sided heart failure. If you have right-sided heart failure, your doctor may prescribe two types of medicines. Medicines that remove extra sodium and fluid from your body, including diuretics and aldosterone antagonists (such as spironolactone) lower the amount of blood that the heart must pump. Very high doses of diuretics may cause low ...

Mar 24, 2022 · Wireless pacemakers (not pictured) are placed inside the right ventricle. A traditional pacemaker generator is placed outside of your heart, either in your chest or abdomen. It is connected via wires to electrodes inside one to three heart chambers. Single- and double-lead pacemakers send pulses to the right side of the heart.

Jun 30, 2023 · It is a common symptom of coronary heart disease, which develops when the arteries of the heart become partially or totally blocked. Angina pain can feel like pressure, squeezing, tightness, or burning in your chest. The discomfort can also spread to your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back, just like a heart attack.

Mar 24, 2022 · Heart attack symptoms can start slowly and can be mild or more serious and sudden. Symptoms also may come and go over several hours. The symptoms of a heart attack can be different from person to person and different between men and women. If you’ve already had a heart attack, your symptoms may not be the same for another one.

Mar 24, 2022 · Blood also carries carbon dioxide to your lungs so you can breathe it out. Inside your heart, valves keep blood flowing in the right direction. Your heart’s electrical system controls the rate and rhythm of your heartbeat. A healthy heart supplies your body with the right amount of blood at the rate needed to work well.