Mystery and myths are part of medicine. The feeling of helplessness and frustration is sometimes overwhelming when you don’t know what’s happening. It’s even worse when you are dealing with some heart disease and especially so when it involves a decision of heart surgery for you or your loved ones. Over years of cardiac surgical practice, I (Dr. E V John) have closely known many patients preparing for heart surgery and seen them through the post-operative period and years of follow up. I have come across their relatives, friends and well wishers mostly keen and eager to get a clear picture about the patient's condition. Partial and wrong information cause confusion and lead to doubts about the treatment. Communication is vital in these situations. At this website (Heart and Aorta), we aim to bring the facts about heart and aortic diseases, treatment options and complications to the common man. While trying to be simple and straight forward, every attempt is made to be authentic and scientific. The description and explanations are in our own words. This may not be an academic site for professionals. But some of the information will surely be helpful for physicians and general practitioners who deal with these conditions in their daily practice. We look forward to your valuable suggestions and comments to make this space more useful for wide range of people.