Treatment & Care

Treatments for heart disease range from low-tech to high-tech. Read about them here. You'll also find
advice for caregivers -- including tips for caregiver care.

Treatment
CPR
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation -- CPR -- is one link in what the American Heart Association calls the
"chain of survival." Learn CPR for a loved one.
Heart Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
Medical care is essential once heart disease is diagnosed, with the goals of stabilizing the condition
immediately, controlling symptoms over the long term, and providing a cure when possible.

Surgeries
Stents
Get information about heart stents, why theyre used, and what types are available.
Angioplasty and Stents
Angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure that can be used to open blocked heart arteries. Stent placement
is another option that can be done during angioplasty.
Heart Bypass Surgery
Heart bypass surgery can be used to treat heart disease when your coronary arteries are blocked. Your
doctor may treat the problem by giving the blood a new pathway to the heart.
Valve Disease Treatment
When treatment for heart valve disease includes surgery, it can be performed by traditional surgery or
minimally invasive balloon valvuloplasty.
Cardioversion
For many people with heart disease, drugs alone will not convert an arrhythmia to a normal heart rhythm.
For these people, a procedure called cardioversion or electrical cardioversion may be necessary.
EECP
EECP can help stimulate blood vessels to develop small branches, creating a natural bypass around
narrowed or blocked arteries that cause the chest pain.
Ablation
Ablation is used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. The type of arrhythmia and the presence
of other heart disease will determine whether ablation can be performed surgically or non-surgically.
Pacemakers
A pacemaker is a small device that sends electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable
heart rate and rhythm. A pacemaker may also be used to treat fainting spells (syncope), congestive heart
failure, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD)
Treatment for abnormal heart rhythms is possible with an ICD, or implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Lead Extraction
A lead extraction is the removal of one or more leads from inside the heart. Leads that are placed outside
the heart during open heart surgery cannot be removed during this type of procedure.
Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

The left ventricular assist device, LVAD or VAD, is a kind of mechanical heart. It's placed inside a person's
chest, where it helps the heart pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
Heart Transplant
A heart transplant is the replacement of a person's diseased heart with a healthy donor's heart. The donor
is a person who has died and whose family has agreed to donate their loved one's organs.

Medications
ACE Inhibitors
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are heart medications that widen or dilate your blood
vessels to improve the amount of blood your heart pumps and lower blood pressure.
Angiotension II Receptor Blockers
These heart drugs decrease certain chemicals that narrow the blood vessels, allowing blood to flow more
easily through your body. They also decrease certain chemicals that cause salt and fluid build-up in the
body.
Antiarrhythmics
Antiarrhythmia drugs are used to treat abnormal heart rhythms resulting from irregular electrical activity of
the heart.
Antiplatelet Drugs
Antiplatelet drugs are used to treat heart disease. They are a group of powerful medications that prevent
the formation of blood clots.
Aspirin Therapy
For more than 100 years, aspirin has been used as a pain reliever. Since the 1970s, aspirin has also
been used to prevent and manage heart disease and stroke.
Beta-Blocker Therapy
Beta-blockers are one of the most widely prescribed class of drugs to treat hypertension (high blood
pressure) and are a mainstay treatment of congestive heart failure.
Calcium Channel Blocker Drugs
Calcium channel blockers are heart disease drugs that relax blood vessels and increase the supply of
blood and oxygen to the heart while also reducing the heart's workload.
Clot Buster Drugs
Clot buster drugs, or thrombolytic therapy, are a type of heart medication given in the hospital through the
veins (intravenous) to break up blood clots.
Digoxin
If you have heart disease, Digoxin is a medication that helps an injured or weakened heart work more
efficiently to send blood through the body.
Diuretics
iuretics, commonly known as "water pills," help your body get rid of unneeded water and salt through the
urine. Getting rid of excess fluid makes it easier for your heart to pump and controls blood pressure.
Nitrates
Nitrates are vasodilators that are used to treat angina in people with coronary artery disease or chest pain
caused by blocked blood vessels of the heart.
Warfarin and Other Blood Thinners

Warfarin, which goes by the brand name Coumadin, is an anticoagulant medication. This means that it
helps prevent clots from forming in the blood. Blood thinners are used to treat some types of heart
disease.

Care
Plant-Based Diet for Heart Health
Is a plant-based diet good for your heart? More research needs to be done, but early studies suggest it
may have a number of benefits.
Recovery After Heart Surgery
After you or someone you love returns home after heart surgery, these are some of the things you should
know.
Finding Strength During Tough Times
Caregivers should be mindful of the psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual aspects of health and illness, as
well as the effects of these factors on themselves and their loved ones.