Surviving a heart attack: what does it mean for a patient to have survived a non-STEMI? Non-STEMI or Non-ST elevation Myocardial Infarction is the dominant presentation of acute coronary syndrome. This occurs when the blood supplied to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked. Other presentations include unstable angina and STEMI or ST-Elevation Myocardial…
Surviving a Heart Attack: the Big One!
The widow maker heart attack, also known as "the big one", is an acute occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery that can lead to severe heart muscle damage and/or death. If not treated in a timely matter, surviving a heart attack of this magnitude is very difficult. While visiting Austin, Texas, my wife and I…
Cholesterol treatment and atherosclerosis: a new frontier
The problem with cholesterol treament and atherosclerosis: Over the last decade, cholesterol treatment and atherosclerosis has evolved significantly. Atherosclerosis is a general term for hardening and thickening of the arteries. In its most common form, atherosclerosis is a slow progressive disease that usually starts in early adulthood and becomes dangerous later in life. Atherosclerosis is a…
Treatment of High Blood Pressure: When Medicines Don’t Work
The treatment of high blood pressure can be very challenging, especially when medicines don't work. Hypertension is defined as a consistent elevation of blood pressure. In the pre-hypertension stage, the systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or the diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89mmhg. In stage I, the systolic blood pressure is between…
Stem Cells in the Treatment of Heart Failure
Can stem cells help improve heart muscle in patients with congestive heart failure? The use of stem cells in the treatment of heart failure cases is currently being investigated. Cardiovascular disease is the # 1 killer in the United States accounting for one third of all deaths. Heart disease kills more people than cancer, HIV, diabetes or trauma. Many advances in…
Open Heart Surgery – Incredible Picture Guide!
What is Open Heart Surgery? Traditionally, open heart surgery meant the breastbone being cracked open, providing direct access to the heart, allowing heart surgeons to fix heart problems while the patient is placed on a heart lung machine. Open heart surgery is probably the most widely known and feared of all operations, but in the…
Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Pulmonary Endarterectomy
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is an uncommon disease but an important one for several reasons – it is substantially under recognized, it may result in progressive and disabling symptoms, the natural history is progression to death, but there is a highly effective operation (Pulmonary Endarterectomy) that may abolish symptoms and reverse the unfavorable natural…
Heart Attacks In Women
Why single out heart attacks in women? Dealing with the societal “requirements” and to “keep up with the Jones,” all of the women in my life hardly have time to themselves. When they do get time to relax, 9 times of 10 they are already exhausted and feel fatigued. Heart disease is the predominate killer…
How to do the MitraClip Procedure – A Complete Guide
The MitraClip procedure represents a cutting edge way to fix a leaky mitral valve. For a broad overview of the procedure and the type of patients who need it, see our article The MitraClip – Treatment for a Leaky Heart Valve. The following article is meant for all levels of those wishing to learn about the…
Heart Flutter
Heart flutter is a nonspecific term often used by people when describing an abnormal sensation in their chest that may refer to one of several conditions which may be benign or may be concerning, including premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), premature atrial contractions (PACs), heart block, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia, POTS, or muscle spasms in…
