Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease and is the leading cause of death in the United States. It is caused by a buildup of plaque inside the coronary arteries.

What to Expect: Nuclear Stress Test

July 12, 2019 14917 17
Alain Bouchard, MD

Nuclear Stress Test: What is it? A nuclear stress test is a minimally invasive diagnostic imaging procedure designed to evaluate the perfusion of blood through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle. Images of the heart are acquired when the heart is in a baseline resting state and again after the heart has been exercised,…

An Increase in Cardiovascular Disease on the Horizon?

April 4, 2019 4084 12
Martin Juneau, MD

The dramatic decrease in mortality from cardiovascular disease between 1970 and 2010 is one of the greatest successes of modern medicine. In several industrialized countries (particularly North America, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand), the mortality rate fell by about 70% during this period, so that in some countries (notably Canada), cardiovascular disease is no…

Cardiac MRI Scans in Patients with Pacemaker Defibrillators

March 25, 2019 7220 16
Alain Bouchard, MD

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a completely noninvasive test that uses a magnetic field and radio frequency waves to create detailed pictures of the heart and blood vessels. It depicts the heart wall and valves structure and displays its function. It provides information on the regional and global heart function, valves and their function…

Gene Therapy for Heart Failure

August 15, 2018 8457 21
Alain Bouchard, MD

The use of gene therapy for heart failure is currently being investigated. Heart failure is a major public concern which affects an estimated 1% of the Western world, including over 5 million Americans with over half a million new cases each year. The current medical treatment of heart failure includes proven beneficial medicine such as…

How long should I take my Plavix after stenting?

June 28, 2018 38176 28
Alain Bouchard, MD

How long should I take my Plavix after coronary stent is a frequent and debatable question facing our field of interventional cardiology. Background Coronary artery disease is a progressive condition that is a result of atherosclerosis. From damage of the inner layer of the artery, lipid or fat accumulates in the wall and leads…

Not All Heart Attacks Are Created Equal

May 31, 2018 11660 27
Alain Bouchard, MD

Not all heart attacks are created equal. The type of heart attack can influence the prognosis greatly. A heart attack can be recognized by clinical features of chest pain or shortness of breath, ECG or cardiac imaging findings and elevated biochemical markers including the cardiac troponin, the so-called “heart attack blood test”. The…

Acute Coronary Syndrome – Explained By A Cardiologist

April 9, 2018 16415 17
Dr. Mustafa Ahmed

What Is Acute Coronary Syndrome? Acute coronary syndrome is essentially the name given to a heart attack or an impending heart attack caused by critically impaired blood supply to the heart, usually through blockage of one or more of the coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood. Lets get a little more detailed. Acute…

Heart Function Including Ejection Fraction (EF)

January 24, 2018 59421 52
Alain Bouchard, MD

Heart function including ejection fraction (EF) is important in clinical practice because it is related to prognosis. Whether the patient suffers from valvular heart disease or ischemic heart disease, a measure of heart function including ejection fraction (EF) can predict future clinical outcome and assist in risk stratification. Several approaches to detect patients at…

What is the best coronary stent for our patients?

September 22, 2017 24534 35
Alain Bouchard, MD

Whenever we start a clinical trial to test a new coronary stent we always ask ourself; “what is the best stent for our patients”? Coronary artery disease is a progressive pathological condition that results from atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. As atherosclerosis progresses from damage of the inner layer of the artery, fat or…

Can heart attack damage be reversed?

September 18, 2017 23495 38
Alain Bouchard, MD

One of the most frequent questions our patients ask after surviving a heart attack is: Can heart attack damage be reversed? Every year, over 700,000 Americans have a heart attack. Improvements in the treatment of myocardial infarction, especially with the reopening of the culprit artery with percutaneous coronary intervention, have led to a large number…