Beta-blockers calm the heart by blocking adrenaline, and they treat far more than blood pressure. Here is what yours is doing, the side effects worth knowing about including vivid dreams, and why you must never stop one suddenly.
A large study has raised important questions about whether patients with normal heart function after a heart attack need to stay on beta blockers indefinitely.
Amlodipine, verapamil, diltiazem: if you have been prescribed a calcium channel blocker, here is what it does, why it was chosen for you, and the side effects and grapefruit interaction every patient on one should know about.
Ventricular ectopic beats are one of the most common causes of palpitations, and one of the most reassuring findings in cardiology. Here is what they are and what they mean.
Palpitations are one of the most common reasons people see a cardiologist, and one of the most reassuring. Here is what causes them and when to seek help.
Second-degree AV block means most signals reach the lower chambers of the heart and the occasional one does not. Some causes are entirely benign. Here is what the finding describes and what usually happens next.
In complete heart block the top and bottom of the heart stop communicating, and a backup rhythm takes over. It is serious, and it is also among the most fixable problems in cardiology.
Blood pressure that stays high despite three or more medications has a name, and in most cases an explanation. What clinicians check first, why spironolactone is usually the fourth medicine added, and how narrow the role of renal denervation really is.
Hair clinics and GPs increasingly send people to check with their heart doctor before starting treatment. There is a good reason for that, and it runs in both directions.