expert type icon EXPERT

Mohamad S. Kassir

Cardiologist

Dr. Mohamad Kassir is a cardiologist practicing in Canton, Ohio. Dr. Kassir specializes in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels and the cardiovascular system. These conditions include heart attacks, heart murmurs, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. Dr. Kassir also practices preventative medicine, helping patients maintain a heart-healthy life.
Mohamad S. Kassir
  • Canton, Oh
  • Univeristy of Aleppo
  • Accepting new patients

Is my heart skipping beats?

Thanks for your question. What you describe is a normal physiological response that causes the left ventricle to pump much larger volume of blood during the heartbeat which READ MORE
Thanks for your question.

What you describe is a normal physiological response that causes the left ventricle to pump much larger volume of blood during the heartbeat which follows the “skip beat”. Skipping beat is an electric beat that occurs much sooner than the due time, means it is too soon for the left ventricle to be ready to be filled with blood and eject as it does in regular normal heart beats. Typically when skipping beat occurs, no blood is ejected because the left ventricle didn’t have enough time to be filled. The skipping beat usually resets the normal heart battery and it causes it to pause before it is ready to fire all over again.

During all that time and since the last normal beat, the pumping chamber which we call the left ventricle, the blood continues to fill in the ventricle which may have accumulated as much as twice blood as normal beat because not much blood was yet available to be pumped during the skipping beat, and more importantly the pumping chamber was not ready to do so yet. Most of this volume of blood will have to be pumped during the beat which follows the skipping beat making one feeling pounding sensation in the chest, discomfort in the neck due to overstretched carotid arteries, or feeling both sensations.

How can I tell if my chest pain is from running or from an issue with my heart?

If you are otherwise healthy and not a smoker ,and you have no family history of coronary artery disease at relatively a young age between 40-60 and you have been following a READ MORE
If you are otherwise healthy and not a smoker ,and you have no family history of coronary artery disease at relatively a young age between 40-60 and you have been following a healthy lifestyle,then your chest pain at your age is less likely caused by coronary artery disease. However, the chest pain may still occur in less common heart conditions, such as certain types of cardiomyopathy and valvular heart disease. If the chest pain is very recent, then a typically benign inflammation could be a plausible cause. The inflammation may affect the layers which cover the heart or the lungs or even in the thoracic cage.
I recommend you consult with your physician if your symptoms persist.
An echocardiogram may sometimes be needed.

Could kidney disease cause cardiac issues?

Chronic kidney disease, particularly in patients who are on hemodialysis, commonly causes and may also accelerate coronary artery disease. The patients are usually treated aggressively READ MORE
Chronic kidney disease, particularly in patients who are on hemodialysis, commonly causes and may also accelerate coronary artery disease. The patients are usually treated aggressively with medications to help reduce risk of heart attacks. Some of these medications like statins for cholesterol, are particularly important!. The risk of heart disease, such as coronary disease, tends to be even more prevalent if diabetes is also present along with the chronic kidney disease.

My father suddenly has symptoms like sweating and uneasiness. Could it mean something?

Not uncommon, people with serious coronary artery disease display symptoms like sweating after efforts or after meal. I highly recommend cardiac evaluation for a person with similar READ MORE
Not uncommon, people with serious coronary artery disease display symptoms like sweating after efforts or after meal. I highly recommend cardiac evaluation for a person with similar symptoms, especially people at age close to your father when coronary artery disease tends to be common. Less likely causes such as hypoglycemia can always be considered, if heart disease is excluded.

Why do I have palpitations?

If you are otherwise healthy, your symptoms may suggest some kind of arrhythmia when the heart suddenly starts beating fast. Oftentimes, this is related to an extra beat by the READ MORE
If you are otherwise healthy, your symptoms may suggest some kind of arrhythmia when the heart suddenly starts beating fast. Oftentimes, this is related to an extra beat by the heart which triggers a fast electric cycle taking over the normal heart cycle, this often happens because of presence of an abnormal “extra wire” since birth. This extra route may cause the heart to run fast in circles, and if medications don’t stop or prevent these cycles, a specialist may have do a procedure called Electrophysiology study and Ablation to help shut down the electric cycles to permanently block them from conducting electrical activity. Different kinds of fast heart beats are known and treatments vary. You need to have a cardiologist see you and some kind of cardiac monitoring usually necessary at the beginning to find out why you are feeling the palpitations.

Can I have mitral valve prolapse when doctor can not hear heart murmur?

Hearing a murmur by itself isn’t the only issue in mitral valve prolapse. You need to now how does the does mitral valve appear on the original echocardiogram. Some prolapse need READ MORE
Hearing a murmur by itself isn’t the only issue in mitral valve prolapse. You need to now how does the does mitral valve appear on the original echocardiogram. Some prolapse need be monitored more often if they were very abnormal and think due to myxomatou degenerative changes even without leakage in the valve. Most prolapses are benign and don’t need close monitoring so often. I suggest you check with your doctor to see what else wrong in the mitral valve besides a prolapse.

Valve repair success

Depending on which valve and what are the causes which made the valve or valves not function normally. For leaking valve, repair is much better than replacing the valve, especially READ MORE
Depending on which valve and what are the causes which made the valve or valves not function normally. For leaking valve, repair is much better than replacing the valve, especially if caused by degradation, like worsening mitral valve prolapseor a birth defect. The heart functions better if we repair rather than replace the valve.

Is running ever bad for your heart?

Unlike stress exercise, like lifting or body building, running causes the skeletal muscles to need a lot of blood, this in turn may exacerbate the rise in the blood pressure much READ MORE
Unlike stress exercise, like lifting or body building, running causes the skeletal muscles to need a lot of blood, this in turn may exacerbate the rise in the blood pressure much more than the power form of exercise which causes less rise in blood volume function of the heart. Power exercise is probably better for people with high blood pressure for the long run. Both forms of work out may cause the heart to get enlarged, but that is normal for a healthy individual

Is chest heaviness related to my past heart issues?

Chest pain whether on the right side or on the left side in some one with history of coronary artery disease like yourself should be evaluated and you need to speak with your physician.You READ MORE
Chest pain whether on the right side or on the left side in some one with history of coronary artery disease like yourself should be evaluated and you need to speak with your physician.You may need to have a stress test or whatever he/she suggests.

I have symptomatic PVCs. When do they become dangerous?

Yes I would be concerned!
Sounds like arrhythmogenic RV...!
Life threatening complex ventricular arrhythmias may correlate with this

Are there alternatives to a catheter ablation for atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia

Ablation is recommended if PSVT is getting worse. Digitalis potentially may increase conduction, not my advice..

Gum disease and heart disease

Some old data showed correlation between gums disease and CAD, but controversy still exists. “Plaques” terminology means different things.

Xarelto

Make sure that your renal functions are normal. Assess anti platelets indications.....