Do you know that there are several ways on how to get rid of coronary artery disease? Coronary artery disease or simply CAD, is a heart disease that has been affecting more than 1 million people in the United States. It is in fact one of the very common heart disease that is growing year after year.
It is a disease that is usually caused by unhealthy lifestyle such as eating unhealthy diets, being obese and smoking. There are three main arteries that supply bloods to the heart. Coronary artery disease occurs when one or more of these arteries that carry blood supply to the heart is affected, a condition known as atherosclerosis. It is often caused by the gradual build up of plaque inside the arteries that cause them to narrow over time and affect the blood flow to the heart.
As the artery blockage gets worse, the blood supply to the heart slows down. When the heart could not get enough of blood supply that it demands, angina condition may develop. Angina symptoms include the feeling of burning sensation in the chest, a rather similar symptoms to heartburn, suffocating as well as squeezing feelings in the chest.
If left untreated, this condition may lead to a heart attack. Plaque that cause artery blockage is made from a mixture of several substances such as calcium, cholesterol, fibrin and other fatty compounds that deposits on the artery wall. A complete blockage may cause the death of heart tissues on the affected area. So how to get rid of coronary artery disease if you suffer from one?
How To Get Rid Of Coronary Artery Disease
As there is no known method of a medicine that can get rid of coronary artery disease by eliminating the plaque, the only effective method of getting rid of plaque is through procedures such as balloon angioplasty. As the name implies, balloon angioplasty procedure involves the use of small balloon that is embedded on the tip of a long tiny tube known as a catheter. It is generally inserted in the upper arms or groin area and is gently and carefully moved to the narrowed section of the artery.
When in place, the small balloon is inflated. This inflation causes the plaque built up on that particular section of the narrowed artery to be compressed or flattened against the wall of the artery thereby allowing smooth blood flow once again. During the inflation of the balloon however, the patient might feel pain when the blood flow in the artery is stopped by the inflated balloon. The pain the go away once the balloon is deflated and blood flow resumes. Typically this procedure could take between 1 to 3 hours.
There is also another common method to get rid of coronary artery disease, and that is by implementing stent into the affected section of the artery. Stent is a small metal device that is to be placed inside the coronary artery. It works like a spring and acts as a support similar to a scaffold that prevent the vessel from closing. An open vessel allows blood to flow through freely. Generally, stent is used along side with balloon angioplasty procedure.
Despite knowing how to get rid of coronary artery disease with these balloon angioplasty and stent procedure, these are only applicable for mild to moderate blockage of the arteries. On more severe artery blockage, a heart bypass surgery might be required. Read about getting rid of coronary artery disease with CABG surgery procedure here for more information.