In this video, Dr Sanjay Gupta discuses diastolic dysfunction. The heart is a pump. It has to relax and fill with blood and then contract to push that blood out. The time interval during which the heart contracts is called systole and the period during which it relaxes to fill with blood is called diastole. For many years, the ability of the heart is measured by its ability to contract and this is [...]

In this video, Dr Sanjay Gupta explains what is meant by the ejection fraction of the heart. [...]

AFib and its silent but deadly parent Afib is one of the commonest heart rhythm disturbances which is associated with an increased risk of stroke. Whilst we know of many risk factors which increase the likelihood of Afib such as high blood pressure, diabetes or precasting heart disease. However, there is one risk factor which is extremely common yet rarely ever diagnosed. This risk factor is a con [...]

I wanted to do a series on the 'ABCs of CARDIOLOGY' which would consist of short snappy videos on different topics. This first one is on Arrhythmia. Many people come and see me and tell me that they have been diagnosed with arrhythmia but don't know what it means. In this video, I talk about 5 facts that will help to understand arrhythmia. Please visit www.drsanjayguptacardiologist.com for more in [...]

One of the commonest cardiac conditions I come across in my job is Angina. Angina can be a precursor to a heart attack and therefore it is really important that everyone knows how to recognise it at an early stage and therefore seek medical help as early as possible. In this video, I discuss angina, why it happens and how we treat it. Please visit www.drsanjayguptacardiologist.com to find out more [...]

In this video, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cardiologist discusses sinus arrhythmia and its significance. A full transcript is available on www.drsanjayguptacardiologist.com Sinus rhythm means that the electrical impulses which regulate the heart rhythm are being produced in the pacemaker that God gives us all when we are born. This ‘pacemaker’ is otherwise called the Sino-atrial node and this is why this rh [...]

In this video, Dr Sanjay Gupta, consultant cardiologist, discusses how cocaine use can affect the heart. Cocaine’s main effect is that it increases our sympathetic activity (flight or fight system) by increasing the amount of adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin in the blood and therefore causing an exaggerated and prolonged activation of our sympathetic system. With regard to the he [...]

As you know I have done a ton of videos on the subject of ectopic heartbeats and as a consequence have spoken to several thousand people who have ectopic heartbeats and listening to their individual stories and by far the one common thing I have found is that virtually everyone who complains of ectopics will also admit to having some degree of health-related anxiety i.e they carry with them this f [...]

Many people choose to vape as a safer alternative to smoking yet we still don't know whether vaping is safe or not. Recently the USA government has published a spate of vaping related deaths and cases of lung disease. In this video, I discuss what we know about vaping and its effects on the heart. Please visit www.drsanjaygupta.com for a transcript of this video [...]

Bluebell Gupta and Sanjay would like to say a very big thank you to all of you for your support, love, and kind-heartedness! You give our lives meaning and we are very grateful!!! [...]

Today I am going to talk about a really interesting blood test that detects weakness of the heart muscle (heart failure). This test is called BNP. BNP stands for brain natriuretic peptide and this test is already being used commonly in medical practice. Before I talk about this BNP, I wanted to start off by talking about heart failure. In heart failure, the fundamental problem is that the heart is [...]

A lot of my work involves talking to and reassuring people who suffer from ectopic heartbeats which seem to cause a ton of anxiety and really seem to have a negative impact on the quality of life. Most patients I have spoken to have already seen a doctor and the doctor has told them that they are not dangerous but for them this reassurance is seldom enough. The anxious mind needs more than that cu [...]

My name is Sanjay Gupta and I am a consultant in York. Today I wanted to do a little video on the subject of blood pressure. If there is one thing that causes a ton of anxiety, it is the mention of high blood pressure. A common scenario, for example, is that the patient goes to see his doctor for a routine visit or a completely unrelated complaint and the first thing the doctor or the practice nur [...]

Patients with AF who are above the age of 65, or have co-morbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, vascular disease or heart failure are at an increased risk of stroke. It is understood that these patients are at a higher risk of stagnation of blood within the heart; the stagnant blood can form clots within the heart and these clots can get dislodged, travel to the brain, and block the bl [...]

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound-based assessment of the heart. It is painless, harmless, readily available in most hospitals and can give a large amount of very useful information about the structure and function of the heart. As atrial fibrillation can be caused by a structural problem with the heart such as heart valve disease or heart muscle weakness, the echo can help to elucidate the under [...]

A PFO is best thought of as a communication at the level of the atrial septum between the left heart and the right heart. It is found in 25-30% of a normal healthy population and usually does not cause any symptoms, impact on the quality of life or lifespan. Many people refer to it as a ‘hole in the heart’ although strictly speaking, a PFO is more like a flap or a partially open door rather than a [...]

Medical care for patients who have a diagnosis of POTS remains hugely unsatisfactory. POTS or rather dysautonomia is a very heterogeneous condition. No two people are exactly the same. There is no one single etiology that can even sometimes be identified. Often the patient who is really suffering looks alright from the outside. Many doctors, largely out of ignorance or perhaps arrogance, don’t eve [...]