Treatment: An Overview

Heart disease is still the number one killer of both men and women. However, advances are improving the statistics every year. Today there are many more treatment options for individuals with heart disease than used to be the case. A generation ago, there were only a few heart medications available; now there are dozens. We work with our patients to find the correct medication and dosage that will control symptoms and maintain the cardiovascular system.

If additional treatment is necessary, such as a procedure, we can either perform it or refer you to another specialist, including an interventional cardiologist or a heart surgeon. Here are some of the most common treatments that our patients receive:

Cardiac catheterization – A cardiac “cath” may be performed to diagnose coronary artery disease or to locate a blockage. It is performed in a sterile lab. . . . More

Angioplasty – If your diagnostic cardiac catheterization confirms that you have a blockage, you may have an angioplasty to clear the blockage . . . . More

Bypass surgery – If a blockage in the coronary artery is either too large or too severe to open with angioplasty, we may recommend bypass surgery. . . . More

Electrophysiology procedures – They include implantation of a device or the permanent repair of an abnormality in the heart . . . . More

Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators – If one’s heartbeat becomes dangerously slow, a pacemaker may be recommended. Arrhythmias that cause a very fast or chaotic heartbeat can be treated with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). . . . More

Catheter ablation – This procedure can permanently correct structural problems that cause an arrhythmia . . . . More