Dr. Arthur Agatston: I am Doctor Agatston prevention from the heart doctor. Hi I am Doctor Agatston here to dispel some heartiness for you. I'd like to talk about Angioplasty or Stent. This is where a Cardiologist puts a tube into the coronary arteries to open up a blockage. And in the midst of a heart attack, new chest pain where one of your arteries supplying the heart muscle with blood is being closed, this procedure can be life saving.
But when you are not in the midst of a heart attack and a blockage has been discovered for some other reason. You have mild pain, you have Abnormal Stress Test, opening that blocked artery will not prevent a future heart attack. This is a myth, it's a false promise, get a second opinion.
Years ago when bypass surgery was first invented we thought it would be magical in preventing future heart attacks. After all you are putting a good vein or artery around the diseased artery with blockages. What we've learned from studies is that the bypasses themselves can become disease. And in fact in the great majority of cases the bypass does not prevent a future heart attack.
In the range that we see blood pressures today they almost never cause a headache or any other symptoms. But if you are under stress, exercise and injury, a twisted ankle, headache your blood pressure will go up, this is normal.
Blood pressure is very important to manage but over many months and years and indeed not being micro-managed. So if you are checking your blood pressure all the time, especially when you feel a little lousy forget about it, discuss it with your doctor. What's important is your average blood pressure over the long term not little peaks and valleys from day-to-day. If a chronic 80% blockage doesn't cause a heart attack by becoming 90% or 100% block, what does?
Well it turns out there are smaller plaques they are like little pimples in our vessel valves that don't affect blood flow. Instead of being filled with pus they are filled with cholesterol. When they grow to a certain extent, they can rupture. That cause an injury to the inner lining to the artery and the healing response.
The beginning of the healing response is a blood clot and if the blood clot is big enough, it can block the whole artery, cutting off blood flow to the heart muscle. The heart muscle dies and that's what a heart attack is, if enough muscle dies it can also cause sudden death.
So how do you prevent this from happening? Well good diet, exercise and if necessary, the right medications can literally dry up these little pimples or soft plaques, so they never grow, rupture and cause a heart attack.
I am Dr. Agatston and I want you to have a healthy heart.
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