Coronary Artery Disease
The treatment choice of coronary artery disease depends on the severity of the disease. Treatments include, but are not limited to lifestyle changes, drug therapy, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, and coronary bypass surgery. CAD is a chronic disease that will require lifelong care, it can be treated which aids in progression, but there is no cure. Although coronary artery disease cannot be cured, adequate lifestyle changes can prevent the disease from developing. Some of these lifestyle changes are diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. A person at risk for coronary artery disease should be on a low-fat, low cholesterol diet. Drug therapy is also used to prevent progression of CAD, drugs such as beta-blockers, calcium channel
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Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, otherwise called coronary angioplasty, is an invasive non-surgical procedure. This procedure is performed in the hospital and require a 24-48 hours stay over. Coronary angioplasty is usually 90% successful, although a third of patients are back within six months as the arteries are once again narrowed. Coronary angioplasty can be repeated, it is usually the first choice of patients because it is less invasive and less expensive than coronary artery bypass surgery. Coronary artery bypass is performed in a hospital under general anesthesia. Bypass surgery is more complicated and is considered major surgery, it is usually used as a last resort or on patients with blockage in two or three major coronary arteries. A healthy artery or vein is removed from another part of the body, usually an arm, leg, or chest wall. This is used to build a detour around the blocked coronary artery, the healthy vessel then supplies oxygen rich blood to the heart. Only a small percentage of patients experience a return of symptoms. “Survival rates after bypass surgery decrease overtime. At five years after surgery, survival expectancy is 90%, at 10 years about 80%, at 15 years about 55%, and at 20 years about 40%”(Milto/Odle). A lot of invasive semi-experimental surgical procedures for unlocking
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, otherwise called coronary angioplasty, is an invasive non-surgical procedure. This procedure is performed in the hospital and require a 24-48 hours stay over. Coronary angioplasty is usually 90% successful, although a third of patients are back within six months as the arteries are once again narrowed. Coronary angioplasty can be repeated, it is usually the first choice of patients because it is less invasive and less expensive than coronary artery bypass surgery. Coronary artery bypass is performed in a hospital under general anesthesia. Bypass surgery is more complicated and is considered major surgery, it is usually used as a last resort or on patients with blockage in two or three major coronary arteries. A healthy artery or vein is removed from another part of the body, usually an arm, leg, or chest wall. This is used to build a detour around the blocked coronary artery, the healthy vessel then supplies oxygen rich blood to the heart. Only a small percentage of patients experience a return of symptoms. “Survival rates after bypass surgery decrease overtime. At five years after surgery, survival expectancy is 90%, at 10 years about 80%, at 15 years about 55%, and at 20 years about 40%”(Milto/Odle). A lot of invasive semi-experimental surgical procedures for unlocking