Treatment for coronary artery disease may include lifestyle changes, medicines, and medical procedures.
Lifestyle Changes for coronary artery disease
It can often help prevent or treat coronary heart disease.
- Avoid saturated fat and include unsaturated fats.
- Limit fatty and sweet foods
- Add some fibers; whole-grain cereals such as oatmeal and oat bran, Fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, pears, and prunes and Legumes such as kidney beans, lentils, chick peas, black-eyed peas, and lima beans.
- Fish is a heart-healthy food - A good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help protect the heart from blood clots, inflammation and lower the risk of heart attack.
- Limit the amount of sodium salt - choose low sodium salt foods.
- Properly manage high pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. They are the risk factors of coronary heart disease.
- Increase physical activity – consult doctor for your suitable plan.
- If over weight and obese - losing weight in steps, helps a lot.
- If smoking – plan to quit. Furthermore, avoid exposing to second-hand smoke.
- Limit alcohol – too much alcohol raises blood pressure and serum triglycerides.
- Plan to reduce or avoid stress – because stress triggers many cases of heart attack.
For more detail, information and tips visit Therapeutic Lifestyle changes section.
Medicines for CAD
Medicines are requiring treating, if lifestyle changes cannot do the needful. Coronary heart disease medication can:
- Reduce heart’s workload and clear coronary heart disease symptoms
- Reduce the chances a heart-attack
- Reduce cholesterol and blood pressure
- Prevent clotting of blood
- Prevent or at-least delay the need for a special procedure such as angioplasty or artery bypass.
Medications used in the treatment of coronary heart disease include anticoagulants, aspirin, antiplatelet medicines, nitroglycerin, glycoprotein IIb-IIIa, statins, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers and fish oil or other sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Medical Procedures and Surgery for CAD
- Angioplasty is to open up blocked or narrowed coronary arteries, by inserting a tube into the blocked arteries and slowly inflate it to open up the blockage and if needed a small mesh tube called a stent is placing in the artery to keep it open after the procedure. Angioplasty help to regain normal blood flow in arteries.
- Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a surgical procedure, using the arteries or veins from other areas in the body to bypass, that go around the blocked arteries. CABG can normalize the blood flow to the heart, relieve chest pain, and possibly prevent a heart attack.
- Bypass grafting in peripheral arteries, in this surgery, a healthy blood vessel is useful to bypass a narrowed or blocked blood vessel in the legs. It improves blood flow to the leg.
- Carotid artery surgery is similar to angioplasty, and it removes plaque buildup from the carotid arteries in the neck. It improves blood flow to the brain and helps to prevent stroke.
Cardiac rehabilitation as CAD
The cardiac rehabilitation team contains many specialists; they include doctors, nurses, exercise specialists, physical therapists, dietitians, and psychologists or behavioral therapists.
Rehabilitation has two parts:
- Training for exercise – teaches safe exercising, strengthens muscles, and improves stamina. Exercise plan based on the individual abilities, needs, and interests.
- Education and counseling - helps to understand the heart condition and tips to avoid or reduce the risks of future heart problems. Educate to handle the stressful situation or plan to reduce its instances and deal with the fear of future.