An echocardiogram or echo for short, is a powerful tool used primarily by cardiologists to evaluate the heart’s structure and function. An echocardiogram is a type of sonogram which means that it uses sound waves to take pictures of your heart and related structures. The system is very similar to sonar on a submarine. The […]
Can Medicines Help My Mitral Valve?
The mitral valve is there to stop blood flowing backwards in the left side of the heart, and so allows blood to travel the correct way, forward, to supply the body! Most of my posts to far have been about mitral valve prolapse (MVP). In mitral valve prolapse the degenerated valve may lead to leakiness, […]
Exercise With Heart Disease – Is it Safe and Should I Be Doing It?
Time after time I come across patients who are suffering from stable coronary artery disease (heart disease) who, through no fault of their own, are under the impression that they can’t partake in any form of ‘strenuous’ activity, as it would be detrimental to their health. It is astonishing that they think they cannot or […]
Chest Pain – Part 2 – More Chest Pains
When we last spoke, we were discussing angina. We now know what it usually feels like and what it usually means. But there are many other reason to have chest pain, some dangerous and some not. We will spend the next bit of our time today discussing some causes of chest pain not related to […]
Chest Pain – Part 1 – Angina
Chest pain is one of the most frightening symptoms that a person can experience. The problem is that not all chest pain is dangerous and not all chest pains are created equal. Some chest pain such as that associated with a heart attack, can be very dangerous. What makes things worse is that each person […]
Aortic stenosis – What Is It?
By Julian Booker MD Our body’s primary artery, the aorta, supplies blood to the entire body. The aortic valve allows blood to flow from the heart into the aorta but prevents blood from leaking back into the heart. In aortic stenosis, sometimes called aortic valve stenosis, the aortic valve does not open normally. This […]
Diabetes And Heart Disease
Diabetes And Heart Disease By Julian Booker MD When I am in clinic, there are very few things that drive me crazier than trying to impress upon a patient the importance of managing their cardiovascular risk. Diabetes and heart disease is an extremely important topic. Once a patient has a heart attack or heart […]
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 5 – How Common is it?
Before reading this, if you haven’t read the first few posts, go ahead and read them so you have a good understanding of what mitral valve prolapse is, and how the valve is affected. Mitral valve prolapse has had several names over the years, including floppy valve syndrome, click syndrome, and click murmur syndrome. Up […]
High Cholesterol – Part 1 – Should I Take A Statin?
By Julian Booker, MD Should I take a statin? Statistics tell a story about groups of patients, not a single patient (you). What statistics can do is provide your physician with information about what therapies will probably be helpful for you. These statistics help your doctor identify therapies that may help you live longer and […]
How often should I have an Echocardiogram?
By Julian Booker MD How often should I have an Echocardiogram? The first thing that must be stated about the echocardiography appropriate use guidelines is that they are just that…guidelines. They are designed to provide direction but still be vague enough to allow flexibility in their interpretation if needed. This flexibility is needed so as […]