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Coronary Atherosclerosis

Coronary Atherosclerosis - Treatments

How is coronary atherosclerosis treated?

Coronary atherosclerosis can be treated by making lifestyle changes, taking medication or through various procedures.

Lifestyle changes

Exercise regularly
Adopt a healthy diet
Quit smoking (if you smoke)
Manage stress
Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
Keep your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels in check

Medication

If a patient’s condition does not improve after making lifestyle changes, medications may be prescribed. These medications generally aim to:

Lower blood pressure
Lower cholesterol levels
Reuce blood-clotting

Procedures

1) Coronary angioplasty

A stent is inserted into the narrowed artery to keep it open and allow blood to flow through

A coronary angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a minimally invasive procedure that treats severe blockages of the coronary arteries. In this procedure, a small balloon or stent is used to keep the blocked part of the artery open, allowing more oxygenated blood to flow through. The latest option within coronary angioplasty is to use stents covered with a drug (drug-eluting stents) which supposedly reduce the likelihood of re-narrowing of the arteries.

2) Coronary artery bypass grafting

Atherosclerosis | Coronary artery bypass grafting

A bypass graft vessel allows oxygenated blood to bypass the blocked arteries and restore blood flow to the heart

A coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is an operation where healthy veins and/or arteries are used to create new pathways for blood to flow, bypassing the narrowed arteries. It is usually recommended to patients with severe coronary atherosclerosis to relieve its symptoms. Typically, it is performed as an open-heart surgery which involves opening up the patient’s chest but recently, minimally invasive CABG methods have been introduced to reduce recovery time.

Coronary Atherosclerosis - Preparing for surgery

Coronary Atherosclerosis - Post-surgery care

Coronary Artery Disease / Coronary Heart Disease,

Article contributed by Department of Cardiology, National Heart Centre Singapore

The information provided is not intended as medical advice. Terms of use. Information provided by SingHealth

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