Dr. Tony Lee, a cardiologist with West Florida Hospital, recently invited residents to discuss the less invasive options for managing coronary artery disease, or CAD. Diagnosing CAD is vital to minimizing the risk of heart attack.
“We can actually diagnose coronary disease without exposing the patient to the risk of a heart (catheter),” Lee said.
According to the Center for Disease Control website, heart disease is attributed to more than 600,000 deaths in the United States. Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease responsible for the deaths of 370,000 people annually.
By diagnosing CAD, Lee said this gives patients the opportunity to prevent either heart attack or a stroke.
“By diagnosing coronary disease, you have an ability to treat that therapeutically by them improving their diet and exercise,” Lee said. Other factors include medication, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure.
One of the test’s discussed is the coronary CTA (computed tomography angiogram) test.
“It’s kind of like a non-invasive heart (catheter),” Lee said. “It’s something that is a lot in my practice and it has worked well for my patients.”
In this process in which IV dye is injected through a peripheral vein and medications are given to the patient in order to slow the heart rate and dilate the heart arteries. Physicians would then use a CT scan to take pictures of coronary arteries in order to see if there are any blockages.
Other less invasive options include echocardiography, in which sound waves are used to take pictures of the heart. A coronary calcium scan which searches for calcifications, or specks of calcium, is an early sign of coronary heart disease.
Should a person believe they have CAD, Lee suggests meeting with a cardiologist immediately.
“If you have anything that may be related to blockage in the heart arteries, its best to go to someone who is best qualified which is usually a cardiologist,” Lee said. “They are the ones that are going to be the best versed in these types of evaluations.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Cardiologist: Less invasive options available for managing CAD