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| Latest treatments |
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After
conducting a battery of
sophisticated tests and imaging procedures to pinpoint the
specific type of cardiac condition, the heart specialist
will determine the best treatment for the patient. Among
today’s
options are traditional therapies as well as those using
futuristic technology and the latest research findings.
Non-surgical
treatments
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Drugs to treat heart disease, including
ACE inhibitors, aspirin, beta-blockers, nitrates, digitalis,
anticoagulants,
anti-arrhythmic
medications, statins, antiplatelet drugs and niacin |
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Implants, such as pacemakers,
defibrillators and biventricular pacing to regulate
and synchronize the heart |
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Ablation, in which electrical
energy is used to get rid of abnormal electrical pathways |
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Radiation, to re-open stented arteries
that have again become clogged |
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LDL aphresis, a procedure much
like kidney dialysis which reduces the “bad” form
of cholesterol from the blood when drugs are ineffective. |
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Angioplasty and stenting, in
which a narrowed artery is widened by means of a balloon
device. A stent (wire mesh structure) is placed in
the artery to keep it open. This does not require surgery. |
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Integrative therapies. Acupuncture, therapeutic massage and guided imagery (visualization) are used to reduce anxiety, stress and depression in heart patients. |
Surgical treatments
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Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The surgeon
uses the patient's own arteries or veins, attaching one end to the aorta
and the other below the blocked coronary artery to create a bypass. |
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Off-pump bypass surgery. Rather than put the patient
on a heart-lung machine during bypass surgery, the surgeon uses new technology
to stabilize a portion of the heart while the rest of the organ continues
to function normally without having to stop the heart. |
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Valve repair and replacement |
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Maze procedure, small incisions to cure atrial
fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm) |
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Transmyocardial laser revasculation, to relieve
severe chest pain |
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Heart transplantation, to replace a diseased heart
with a healthy donor heart |
A new development: Reversing heart disease
Based on breakthrough research conducted
by Dr. P. K. Shah of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a recent study by leading
heart professionals has discovered
a new, synthetically produced drug that appears to imitate lipoprotein (the “good” cholesterol)
by reducing the amount of plaque in the arteries.
As noted in a Los Angeles
Times feature article (November 5, 2003), early results from the trial indicate
that plaque reduction takes place in a matter
of weeks. By comparison, current therapies use drugs (statins) to reduce “bad” cholesterol
over a period of years. The experimental drug also appears to reduce the chances
that chunks of plaque will break off and cause heart attacks or strokes.
Further
scientific investigation of the drug is required before it can become available
to heart patients.
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