what is a blockage between the heart and the arm?

Question

had a recent mra after finding out that my blood pressure in my right arm was almost nonexistant to substantually lower than on the left side. was told that i had a blockage between my heart and the right arm. what exactly is this and is it a big deal. i have been scheduled to see a vascular surgeon next week and dont have much of an idea about what this is or if it could mean other problems

Answer 1

probably a blood clot but they arnt too big of a deal unless it causes alot of problems.

Answer 2

So far, everyone (including the med student) is off track.

The "blockage" is usually a narrowing ("stenosis") in the subclavian artery (most likely). The subclavian is a major branch off the aorta.

At our practice, we generally don't routinely get MRAs/CTAs on patients with different blood pressures like you. UNLESS they are symptomatic.

The symptoms you'd expect are arm pain with use, in rare cases dizzyness.

Depending on his/her exam of you, the surgeon may recommend routine treatments to lower cholesterol, etc.

It is unlikely to be a thrombus, embolus, or thoracic outlet syndrome.

Good luck.

Answer 3

you might have an embolus or a thrombus

embulism is an obstruction of the flow of blood by an embolus, a particle or aggregate of substance that is abnormally present in the bloodstream. The substance may be a blood clot that has broken loose from its point of formation (while it is still adherent to the vessel at the point where it was formed, the clot is called a thrombus)

A thrombus is a blood clot that forms in a vessel and remains there. An embolism is a clot that travels from the site where it formed to another location in the body. Thrombi or emboli can lodge in a blood vessel and block the flow of blood in that location depriving tissues of normal blood flow and oxygen. This can result in damage, destruction (infarction), or even death of the tissues (necrosis) in that area.

Answer 4

It is a BIG deal. Highly unlikely its a embolism or thrombus. But without any more info....Sounds like you might have Thoracic outlet syndrome or cervical rib synrome where the pulse in 1 arm is lost. But more info is needed to be sure. This is a big deal b/c if it is not corrected, that 1 arm is prone to ischemia (lack of blood flow) which leads to hypoxia (lack of oxygen to tissues) which will make your arm prone to 1) infection 2) infarction & necrosis 3) atrophy of muscle which will lead to weakness and pain
for info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoracic_outlet_syndrome
good luck

Answer 5

hi,
the relationship between the heart and the shoulder area considers as a referred pain meaning the heart and the arm are embryo logically developed from same area , so when there is pain in heart the nerve impulses which carry the pain sense from the heart go to the brain and it is come back but here the brain consider that the organ feel pain is the arm not the heart .