Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Your heart health will be determined by a combination of two important factors:

1. What you can’t control — your genetic makeup, inherited from your parents, including medical conditions that can contribute to heart disease, such as diabetes. You may inherit an undesirable predisposition, such as a tendency to have high cholesterol levels.
2. What you can control — factors that are known to contribute to heart disease, such as smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise.

Any family history of heart disease may increase your likelihood of having heart disease. If you have a significant genetic predisposition, we’ll pay close attention to key indicators, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The coronary arteries provide your heart with its blood supply and its oxygen. Coronary artery disease is caused by a buildup of plaque — fats — that can create a narrowing of the coronary artery. When this narrowing occurs, the arteries don’t carry enough oxygen to the heart for it to function.

Coronary artery disease progresses with age. One key factor is a genetic predisposition, so if there is coronary artery disease in your family, you’re at higher risk for having coronary disease. Many other factors can increase the risk of coronary artery disease, including uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels. There are also factors that are under your control, such as smoking, excessive weight, and poor eating habits.

The most common symptom of coronary artery disease is pain or discomfort in the chest, most commonly when you are active. The chest pain and discomfort are called angina.

If a patient has stable coronary artery disease, our goal is to prevent progression of the disease. We do this in a couple of ways. We will prescribe medication to control blood pressure and other medication, such as aspirin, to prevent blood clots. It is also important to make sure that cholesterol is well managed, and we encourage patients to avoid unhealthy habits, like smoking.

Acute coronary disease often results in a heart attack, which is an emergency and needs to be treated in the hospital. When the coronary artery is blocked, it usually must be opened with a cardiac procedure, which may include placement of a stent. These procedures are usually performed at a hospital. Learn more about heart attacks and their treatment.

Heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. More information on heart failure can be found here.

The heart controls its contractions — the source of its pumping function — through a complex electrical system. A steady rhythm ensures optimal pumping of the blood through the body’s circulatory system. Arrhythmia means abnormal heart rhythm, and atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) is the most common type of arrhythmia in adults, affecting more than five million people in the U.S.

Some people may not be aware of their A-Fib, but others may experience significant symptoms. Even if it doesn’t cause symptoms, A-Fib can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, or other serious problems. Left uncontrolled, it can weaken the heart and lead to heart failure because the heart is unable to circulate enough blood to meet the body’s needs.

Our goal is to get you back to living your normal, active life. We treat each case of A-Fib based on your individual requirements. A treatment plan may include the following:

• Medication: Drugs can help control your heart rate and lower your risk of blood clots. Medications such as beta blockers, anti-arrhythmic medicines, and calcium channel blockers are used to manage irregular heartbeat.
• Cardioversion: This nonsurgical, temporary procedure converts a rapid heartbeat to a normal rhythm by using electrical current or medication.
• Ablation: This procedure may be recommended when medication and cardioversion aren’t effective. Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the use of a catheter to create scar tissue inside the heart, stopping your irregular heartbeat. This procedure requires only a small bandage at the entry site to heal.
• WATCHMAN™: This minimally invasive procedure can permanently reduce the risk of stroke by closing off the left atrial appendage, the most common site where harmful blood clots form in patients with A-Fib.
• Surgery: If you do not respond to medical therapy or ablation, you may be a candidate for surgery. This will require close consultation with your Cooper and Inspira cardiologist. 

To improve your heart health — and maintain a healthy heart — pay attention to what your body tells you, and adopt healthy lifestyle habits, such as:

• Staying physically active and exercising regularly
• Eating a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat, trans fat, and salt
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Lowering and controlling your blood pressure
• Avoiding smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke
• Drinking only in moderation
• Monitoring and controlling your blood sugar if you have diabetes
• Lowering and controlling your cholesterol level