Heart Disease Treatment

Recently Answered

• QWhat types of heart diseases are treated with interventional cardiology?

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  A Brigham and Women's Hospital answered

  Interventional cardiologists treat narrowed arteries and weakened heart valves—often caused by coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, or peripheral vascular disease.

  • Coronary artery disease is the narrowing of the coronary arteries, the tubes which supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. This narrowing of the arteries is caused by atherosclerosis—the buildup of fatty deposits, cholesterol, calcium, and plaque on the inner surface of the arteries. Atherosclerosis restricts blood flow to the heart, which can lead to heart attack or other heart problems. Symptoms may include angina (intermittent chest pain), shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and/or weakness.
  • Heart valve disease involves heart valves that are not working correctly to regulate the flow of blood through the heart chambers. This can arise from birth defects or through damage by rheumatic fever, bacterial infection, or heart attacks. Valves also can degenerate with the normal aging process. To compensate, your heart must pump harder, and may be unable to supply adequate blood circulation to the rest of your body. Two common forms of heart valve diseases are aortic valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the ankles and legs, fatigue, dizziness, and/or fainting.
  • Peripheral vascular disease involves the other arteries that run throughout your body. Like the coronary arteries in your heart, these vessels can become clogged and hardened through atherosclerosis, and can increase your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke, or limb loss. Symptoms may also include pain in the leg muscles (particularly calves and thighs) and/or severe aching pain in your toes or feet at night.

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• QWill I need a stent if I have a blocked artery?

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  A Blake Medical Center answered

  Patients don't necessarily need a stent if they have a blockage because there are other treatment options, such as surgery.

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• QWhat do cardiothoracic surgeons do?

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  A CTSurgeryPatients.org answered

  Cardiothoracic surgeons operate on diseases that occur in the organs inside the chest and in the bony structures and tissues that form the chest cavity. Coronary artery disease is one of the most common diseases treated by cardiothoracic surgeons. General thoracic surgeons treat primarily lung cancer and diseases of the esophagus and chest wall. Congenital heart surgeons care for babies and children with holes between the heart chambers or abnormal connections within the heart.

  This content originally appeared online in "The Patient Guide to Heart, Lung, and Esophageal Surgery" from the Society of Thoracic Surgery.

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• QHow will my doctor determine if I should have surgery for heart disease?

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  A The Mount Sinai Health System answered

  Your doctor will weight the risks and benefits associated with an procedure before recommending surgery.

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• QWhat is cardio-oncology?

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  A Memorial Hospital of Tampa answered

  Cardio-oncology is a new subspecialty of cardiology that deals with cardiac damage from cancer therapies such as chemotherapy.

• QHow should I manage my heart medications?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  Here are some tips to help you manage your heart medications:

  • Don't skip a dose or stop taking medication suddenly. Most heart medications must be taken regularly. It can be dangerous to stop taking some medications suddenly. Never stop taking medication without first talking to your healthcare provider.
  • Set an alarm clock to remind you when it's time to take your medication. Or, take it at the same time you do other regular activities. For example, take your medication right after brushing your teeth in the morning or while watching the evening news.
  • Organize your pills. Use a divided pillbox for different times of the day or different days of the week. Pull out only enough pills to fill the pillbox. (For longer-term storage, use the original bottle for each medication.) This system can help you see at a glance whether you've taken each dose.
  • Store your medications properly. First, keep all medications out of the reach of children. Also, be sure to store your medications in their original containers. Keep containers in a dry, cool storage area unless you are told otherwise. (Generally speaking, bathroom medicine cabinets are not a good place to store medications. The moisture in most bathrooms can make medication less effective.)
  • Order more medication when you're down to a two-week supply. Pharmacies sometimes have a delay in filling orders—and it's important to avoid running out of your prescription.
  • Keep a written list of all your medications and dosages in your wallet or purse. Keep a list of any medication allergies with this list.
• QIs there a cure for coronary heart disease?

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  A Sigma Nursing answered

  Coronary heart disease is a chronic condition—once you develop the disease, you will always have it. The best cure is prevention. If you are diagnosed with coronary artery disease, you can make lifestyle changes to manage your risk factors for a heart attack. Medicine and medical procedures can also help you slow the disease's progression, reverse damage to your arteries, and improve your quality of life.

• QHow should I communicate with my healthcare team about my heart disease?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  If you have heart disease, you are the most important part of your healthcare team. You'll need to communicate with everyone on the team and be involved in your care from the very beginning. Here are some tips:

  • Ask questions! Write questions down as you think of them, and don't be afraid to ask them.
  • Give honest feedback. Your input about your symptoms, side effects or health history can help providers tell if your treatment is on track.
  • Keep your appointments. Follow-up is crucial. Use appointments to ask questions and clarify your care plan. Take notes (or take someone with you to take notes).
  • Follow your care plan. Discuss what tests or treatments you may need and why they are important. Tell all care providers about all medications you are taking. Agree on steps you will take to help your heart. Ask about your progress and when you need to follow up next.
• QWhat is heart valve surgery?

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  A Eastside Medical Center answered

  Heart valve surgery involves working and repairing or replacing the heart valve of a patient. There are four heart valves in the heart, called the aortic valve, mitral valve, tricuspid valve and the pulmonary valve. Primarily the aortic valve and the mitral valve are the ones that give us trouble. They can either leak or they can narrow down or become "stenotic." The surgeon may choose to open up the heart and try to repair the valve either with open heart surgery or limited invasive surgery through robotic or portal surgery. If the surgeon cannot repair the valve, which is the best alternative, then the valve may be replaced either with an artificial valve from animal material or a mechanical valve. Mechanical valves are very durable but require blood thinners such as Coumadin. The future of valve surgery may include percutaneous valve repair or replacement, where doctors can place a new valve in the heart or repair the old one using a catheter inside the arteries and veins of the patient without having to cut their chest open. This is a new and exciting development. Stay tuned.

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• QWhat is an event monitor?

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  A Regional Medical Center answered

  An event monitor is a recording of your heart that gives your doctor information between appointments.

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