Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Cardiac steal syndrome
Introduction
Overview
Cardiac steal syndrome is a phenomenon caused when there is narrowing of the coronary arteries and an arteriolar vasodilator is used – “stealing” blood away from those parts of the heart. This happens as a result of the narrowed coronary arteries being always maximally dilated to compensate for the decreased upstream blood supply. Dilating the other arterioles causes blood to be shunted away from the coronary vessels.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]