Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease(CAD)

Treatment for coronary artery disease usually involves lifestyle changes along with medicines and certain medical procedures.

Updated: August 18, 2020

Treatment for coronary artery disease usually involves lifestyle changes along with medicines and certain medical procedures.

Lifestyle Changes To Treat Coronary Artery Disease(CAD):

Making lifestyle changes can help prevent or treat CAD. This includes few things to adopt and include in your lifestyle, such as:

Quit Smoking
Follow a Healthy Diet
Be Physically Active
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Avoid Stress and Depression

Medicines To Treat Coronary Artery Disease(CAD):

Medicines are required to treat CAD if lifestyle changes are not enough. Various medicines can be used to treat coronary artery disease, including:

Aspirin:

Aspirin or other blood thinner medicines can be recommended on a daily basis. This can reduce the tendency of your blood to clot, which may help prevent obstruction of your coronary arteries. If you have had a heart attack, aspirin can help prevent future attacks. But if you have a bleeding disorder or you are already taking another blood thinner, aspirin won't be an option.

Cholesterol reducing medications:

These medicines decrease the primary material that deposits on the coronary arteries by decreasing the amount of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Medications, including statins, niacin, fibrates, and bile acid sequestrants can be recommended.

Beta-blockers:

These medicines slow down your heart rate and decrease your blood pressure, which decreases your heart's demand for oxygen. Beta-blockers reduce the risk of future attacks, if If you had a heart attack before.

Nitroglycerin:

Nitroglycerin tablets, sprays, and patches can control chest pain by temporarily dilating your coronary arteries and reducing your heart's demand for blood.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs):

These medicines help to decrease blood pressure and may help prevent the progression of coronary artery disease.

Procedures and Surgery To Treat Coronary Artery Disease(CAD):

A procedure or surgery may be required to treat CAD. Both angioplasty and CABG are used as treatments.

Coronary angioplasty:

This is also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) which is a non-surgical procedure that opens blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. Coronary angioplasty is a complex type of procedure where a tiny tube known as a balloon catheter with a sausage-shaped balloon at the end is put into a large artery in your groin or arm.

The catheter is passed up to your heart through your blood vessels over a fine guidewire. Before being moved into the narrowed section of your coronary artery it uses X-rays for the guidance.

PCI can improve blood flow to your heart and relieve chest pain.

Coronary artery bypass graft:

If there are too many narrow sections in your arteries or if there are lots of branches coming off your arteries that are also blocked, a coronary angioplasty may not be possible.

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is then suggested in such cases. A blood vessel from another part of your body such as from your chest or leg is taken to use as a graft in this procedure.

The graft bypasses any hardened or narrowed arteries in the heart. A new blood vessel will be attached to the aorta and the other to the coronary artery beyond the narrowed area or blockage. When it reaches the position, the balloon is inflated inside the narrowed part of the coronary artery to open it wide. A flexible metal mesh called a stent is then inserted into the artery to help keep it open afterward.

CABG can improve blood flow to your heart, relieve chest pain, and prevent a heart attack.

Omega-3 fatty Acids To Treat Coronary Artery Disease(CAD):

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fatty acid that reduces inflammation throughout the body, a contributing factor to coronary artery disease. You can include food reach in Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, such as