If you ever feel that you cannot get enough air, called shortness of breath, tell your healthcare provider. Something is wrong and it must be treated.
What to do
- Call 911 or go to the emergency room if you experience shortness of breath all of a sudden, or if it is combined with chest pain.
- Call your healthcare provider if you experience shortness of breath after exercise, if it wakes you up at night, if you are wheezing or coughing, or if you have a fever.
Common causes
This may indicate a range of condition, many of which serious and are considered medical emergencies.
- Cardiovascular conditions: Heart attack, heart rhythm problems, pulmonary embolism (clot that has moved from a blood vessel to the lungs), pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs), heart failure, coronary artery disease,
- Lung conditions: Emphysema, interstitial lung disease (inflammation and scarring in the lungs), lung disease, pneumonia, asthma
- Other conditions: allergies, obesity, inhaling a foreign object, panic attacks, acid reflux
Possible Conditions
Diagnostic Tests
- 3D Echo
- Cardiac Catheterization
- Cardiac CT
- Cardiac MRI
- Echocardiography
- Electrocardiograms (EKG, ECG)
- Electrophysiology Study (EP)
- Lung & Oxygen Tests
- Nuclear Cardiology and Heart Perfusion Imaging
- Peripheral Angiography
- Peripheral Vascular Studies
- Stress Testing
- Heart Failure Management
- Transcatheter aortic valve implantation
Treatment Procedures
- Angioplasty (PTCA, PCI)
- Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closure
- Brachytherapy
- Heart Valve Repair / Replacement
- Ventricular Assist Devices
- Transcatheter aortic valve implantation
- Aortic Valve Repair / Replacement
- Mitral Valve Repair / Replacement
