Coronary Prevention

Our practice has a track record of agrressive screening for and prevention of heart attacks and coronary artery disease. It has been a first priority to prevent every heart attack. This is done in our practice by implementing screening protocols that exceed standards but yet results in high level prevention.

The ultimate prevention rests of adopting a liufe style that neutralize risk factors and result in healthy living.

Introduction:

Coronary artery disease is number one killer among diseases in the United States. By definition, it is the process of clogging of the arteries supplying the heart muscle. Once the blockage is significant, it results in a "coronary event"; usually an angina attack, myocardial infarction or sudden death. Coronary artery disease is also linked to weaknes in the heart muscle ( cardiomyopathy), atrial fibrillation, leaky valves and other heart problems.

Risk Factors:

High cholesterol, Low HDL, High LDl, high Triglycerides.
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Smoking
Family History
Male sex
Age
Obesity
Inactivity
Life-Style
Other factors to be studied in future research.

Prevention:

Prevention of CAD is by neutralizing risk factors:

Diet: Natural food, high fiber, low fat, low carbohydrates diet. Avoid chemical rich food. Example of chemical rich food: Gum (artificial color, artificial flavor, artificial rubber, artificial sweetner).
Treat high cholesterol: Target LDL below 100 or below 70. Diet plus medications
Normalize high blood pressure; No salt diet plus medications and weight loss.
Control diabetes: Average blood sugar around 120, A1C around 6.4-6.8.
Stop smoking tobacco: Trying to quit smoking is in fact an attempt to keep smoking. No use of waiting and trying.
Daily baby aspirin.
Evaluate and treat nutriitonal deficiencies and malnutrition. Obesity is considered a case of malnutriiton.
Lose weight and achieve close to ideal body weight.
Excercise: Gentle aerobic regular excercise as tolerated.

Prevention:

Prevention of CAD is by screening for pre-existing CAD:

Damage to the coronary arteries from prior insults. Exposure to risk factors for years result in clogging of the arteies.

It is critical to detect advanced coronary artery disease in order to save lives and prevent heart disease and death.
This process lends itself to aggressive screening protocols that include nuclear stress testing, coronary CT scanning and when indicated cardiac catheterization.