Arteriosclerosis

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• QIs bypass surgery dangerous?

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  A SCAI answered

  While every type of surgery carries some risks, it is important to note cardiac bypass surgery has been well-studied and heart surgeons receive years of specialized training. Bypass surgery is only performed on serious, life-threatening disease, in response to emergency symptoms, such as shortness of breath, chest pain (angina) or discomfort in the arms, neck or jaw, and when imaging tests confirm the presence of dangerously blocked arteries.

  More than 95 percent of people who undergo bypass surgery do not experience serious complications. For patients with advanced heart disease, it is more dangerous not to undergo bypass surgery if doctors have recommended it to restore blood flow. This is because the disease that blocked the vessels is progressive and will get worse, likely leading to blockages so substantial they starve the heart of oxygen and can cause disability or death.

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• QWhat are the treatment options for arteriolosclerosis?

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  A Greenville Health System answered

  There are three commonly used treatment options for arteriolosclerosis. The least aggressive form of treatment is a lifestyle overhaul. People with early symptoms of arteriolosclerosis need to take steps to take better care of their health. This includes eating foods that are low in saturated fats, and cholesterol, and ones that are high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Part of a healthy lifestyle also includes lowering stress, getting regular physical activity, quitting smoking, and maintaining a body mass index of less than 25.
  Sometimes physicians prescribe medications to help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, or keep blood clots from developing in the blood vessels. When medications don't work, physicians turn to surgery. An angioplasty is used to unblock an artery using a long, thin catheter and a balloon, and an endarterectomy is a procedure used to remove fat from the insides of arteries. Physicians may also inject medication directly into a blocked artery to help dissolve a clot, or perform a bypass surgery to provide a healthy blood vessel that allows oxygen and nutrients in the blood to go around the clogged blood vessel.
  The contents of this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Nor does the contents of this website constitute the establishment of a physician patient or therapeutic relationship. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
• QWhat if leg or foot pain returns after endovascular treatment?

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  A SCAI answered

  Arteries can become blocked again after they have been treated. When an artery becomes renarrowed, it is called restenosis. You may experience leg or foot pain or you may develop a new ulcer or discoloration like what you experienced before the procedure. You should call your doctor. A second procedure may be needed to again clear the blood vessels of blockages.
• QWho needs an endovascular procedure?

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  A SCAI answered

  If your leg arteries become clogged and narrowed so that blood is unable to flow and supply enough oxygen to your leg muscles, you may have peripheral artery disease, or PAD. Your doctor may recommend an endovascular procedure (angioplasty) or surgery to open blockages and restore blood flow to the muscles. When blood flow is restored, cramping and pain in your legs are usually significantly reduced. These procedures also help heal ulcers that form on the feet and legs and reduce the risk of losing a leg or foot due to severe narrowing of the blood vessels.
• QWhat is arteriosclerosis?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  

  Arteriosclerosis refers to hardening and stiffening of the arteries over time so they are less flexible. It is part of the disease process in coronary artery disease. This animation shows how they are related.
  
  
  

  

  Find out more about this DVD:

  What Is Arteriosclerosis?
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• QWhy do my arteries stiffen or harden as I get older?

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  A Dr. Vonda Wright, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered

  Arteries are the tubes that carry blood away from your heart to your lungs and to all the other tissues of the body. Arteries are made of muscle, and like other muscles in our bodies, they tend to stiffen with age. Stiffening or hardening of the arteries also accompanies a high-fat diet and smoking. In addition, as our blood vessels age, they become narrower. This causes the blood pressure to increase because the heart must work harder to pump the same amount of blood through a smaller space.
• QWhat is the treatment for cerebral arteriosclerosis?

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  A Piedmont Heart Institute answered

  The treatment for cerebral arteriosclerosis can include medications or surgery. Physicians may also recommend treatment to help people control high blood pressure, quit cigarette smoking, and reduce the cholesterol level, all of which are risk factors for cerebral arteriosclerosis.
  This answer is based on source information from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes.
• QWhat is rotablation?

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  A SCAI answered

  Over time, plaque - a fatty substance made up of cholesterol, calcium and other materials - builds up in our arteries. When an artery becomes blocked by plaque, it can cause a heart attack, stroke or painful blockages in the blood vessels of the legs. If plaque is soft enough, a specially trained physician called an interventional cardiologist can insert a thin tube with a tiny balloon at the end into the artery and open the balloon to push aside the plaque and reopen the artery for blood flow. This procedure is called angioplasty. But what if the plaque is too hard for angioplasty? That is where rotablation, or rotational atherectomy, comes in.
  As calcium builds up in the artery walls, plaque can become extremely rigid and hard - too hard for an angioplasty balloon to stretch the artery open. To solve this problem, medical researchers designed the rotablator, a small drill with a burr on the end that is coated in diamond dust. You might sometimes hear a rotablator called a “diamond rotor” for this reason. The rotablator drills through the calcified plaque, breaking up the plaque into tiny pieces as it works. These pieces of plaque are small enough to be safely picked up by your bloodstream and eventually your body eliminates them.

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• QWhat is peripheral angioplasty and stenting?

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  A SCAI answered

  During balloon angioplasty, stenting and other catheter-based cardiovascular treatments, a specialist called an interventional cardiologist performs the procedure. An interventional cardiologist is a licensed cardiologist who has also had one or two years of additional training in interventional procedures – minimally invasive procedures that use thin, flexible tubes to diagnose and treat blocked blood vessels.
  Among those who will also be part of your care team during an interventional procedure, which is performed in the hospital's catheterization laboratory (the  "cath lab”), are cath lab nurses. These nurses are closely involved in your care from the time you arrive at the cath lab. During the procedure, cath lab nurses assist the interventional cardiologist and monitor your condition to identify changes that may need immediate attention. Technicians and nurses watch the cath lab monitors that display your heart rhythm and rate - and notify the physician if they observe changes.
  After your procedure, nurses continue to provide watchful care in the recovery area. Of particular concern is stopping any bleeding from the puncture site through which the interventional cardiologist threaded the catheter into your arteries. Nurses ask often about how your puncture site (usually in the groin area where the catheter is inserted into your arteries) feels. Plus, they are available to answer questions and teach you how to care for your puncture wound once you leave the hospital.
  Most patients who are treated with angioplasty and stenting are released from the hospital on the day of, or the day after, the procedure. Your interventional cardiologist will inform your general cardiologist about the outcome of your procedure. And your cardiologist will, in turn, communicate with your primary care physician. This way, all the key players on your team are kept up to date on your progress.
  After a stent procedure for the stroke, your interventional cardiologist will provide prescriptions for blood-thinning medications, such as clopidogrel (Plavix) and aspirin. It is very important that you follow your interventional cardiologist's instructions for these medications. And even after you begin to feel better, you should never stop taking your medications at any time without speaking with your cardiologist.
   
• QHow does artery calcification differ among men and women?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  About 90 percent of men with atherosclerosis have calcified arteries, as opposed to women, who calcify their plaques only 30 percent of the time. This means that women respond to heart disease reversal programs even better than men, since their arteries are not lined in a cast of calcium, but it also might mean that their plaques are more precarious and prone to rupture and sudden clot formation.