Heart Failure: Cause
More than one in four Americans has some type of cardiovascular disease that can eventually lead to heart failure (HF), the inability of the heart to pump a sufficient amount of blood into the blood vessels. Many of these diseases have common risk factors and an interrelated pathogenesis. Despite recent therapeutic advances, heart failure is the only major cardiovascular disorder that is increasing in incidence and prevalence. 

Heart Failure: Diagnosis
Heart failure (HF) is the inability of the heart to pump a sufficient amount of blood into the blood vessels. Cardiac damage that initiates the vicious cycle of heart failure usually occurs as a result of other cardiac diseases, such coronary artery disease, coronary heart disease, or a disease of one of the valves of the heart. Although heart failure is a disease with devastating effects, the treatment regimens continue to improve as more and more is discovered about the physiological causes of this disease. This course reviews the methods used to diagnose heart failure.

Heart Failure: Treatment
This course describes the prognosis and available treatments for heart failure.

Myocardial Infarction: Cause
Prolonged ischemic conditions (a decrease in blood supply to an organ) can lead to the death, or necrosis, of the affected tissue. When this occurs in the heart, it is called myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Whereas angina is a result of a reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, myocardial infarction occurs as a result of a sudden and complete interruption of blood supply to a portion of the heart. This course describes the cellular and molecular processes that lead to angina and myocardial infarction. 

Myocardial Infarction: Diagnosis
This course discusses the methods and tests used to assess cardiac function and how an ECG can indicate myocardial infarction.