1. Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) Slideshow Pictures
2. Medical Illustrations of the Heart Image Collection
3. Take the Heart Disease Quiz!

Medical Author:

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Joseph Sciammarella, MD, FACP, FACEP

Dr. Sciammarella graduated from American University of the Caribbean in June, 1985. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Emergency Medicine and has practiced Emergency Medicine for 19 years.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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CPR is one link in what the American Heart Association calls the Chain of Survival. The Chain of Survival is a series of actions that, when performed together, give the cardiac arrest victim the greatest chance of survival. The Chain of Survival includes the following steps:

• Early access: When an emergency is recognized, the first link in the Chain of Survival is early access. This means activating the emergency medical services, or EMS, system by calling 911. (911 does not work in every community. Be sure to check your local directory, and know the correct emergency telephone number in your community.)
  
  
• CPR: The second link in the Chain of Survival is to perform CPR until a defibrillator becomes available. It is now recognized that early CPR is essential to resuscitation from cardiac arrest.
  
  
• Early defibrillation: The third and most critical link in the Chain of Survival for a victim of ventricular fibrillation is early defibrillation.
  
  
• Early advanced life support: The last link in the Chain of Survival is early advanced life support. This is provided by experienced medical personnel such as paramedics, nurses, and doctors. Advanced life support includes giving medications and using advanced oxygen delivery techniques to resuscitate a person.