What are the best treatment options for blocked heart vessels?

Doctor's Answers 1

There are essentially 3 treatments for blocked heart vessels – ie

  1. Medical therapy
  2. Angioplasty or stents, and
  3. Bypass surgery

However which of these options is most suitable for yourself depends on the presence of the blockages, their severity and location.

In addition other factors such as Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol also play a part. It is important that lifestyle changes always accompany all of the above three options.

Medical therapy is usually recommended when there are mild fatty thickening in the arteries.

Heart stents or coronary angioplasty is the treatment of choice if the narrowing or blockages are few in number and are amenable to stent therapy. In the current scenario, the vast majority can be treated with stents even with multiple blockages.

Bypass surgery is reserved for those with extensive severe disease especially if vessels have been completely blocked for a long time with severe calcification (though not always) and if the patient has other issues such as diabetes and poor heart pumping capacity.

Similar Questions

How do cardiologists diagnose postpartum SCAD (spontaneous coronary artery dissection), and how will it affect me in future?

Hi there I am sorry to hear of your experience. SCAD or spontaneous coronary artery dissection does sound likely given that it occurred 10 days postpartum (SCAD more likely to occur in the last trimester & in the last 4 weeks post delivery). ECG changes and raised troponin would be classed as Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) secondary to SCAD.

Photo of Dr Nandakumar Ramasami

Answered By

Dr Nandakumar Ramasami

Cardiologist

How can I best prepare for an angioplasty to get the optimal outcomes?

I would suggest that you keep yourself well informed of the procedure, what it entails on the day, what are the various outcomes and what maybe the adjunct procedures you may need and how long your recovery could take based on the results of the angiography and any treatment on the day. Of course, it would be good if your next of kin is also aware of this information. On the day of the procedure ensure you are well rested and ask your doctor for anxiety-relieving medication the night before if necessary to ensure a good nights sleep.

Photo of Dr Nandakumar Ramasami

Answered By

Dr Nandakumar Ramasami

Cardiologist

Ask any health question for free

I’m not so sure about a procedure...

Ask Icon Ask a Question

Join Human

Sign up now for a free Human account to get answers from specialists in Singapore.

Sign Up

Get The Pill

Be healthier with our Bite-sized health news straight in your inbox