Englewood Health's heart team offers the range of treatment for coronary artery disease—from preventive care and medications to minimally invasive procedures or surgery for the most advanced cases.
Why choose Englewood Health for coronary artery disease care?
At Englewood Health, we offer:
- The most up-to-date diagnostic testing for coronary artery disease, including advanced imaging and minimally invasive testing.
- An extensive network of cardiologists across northern New Jersey to help you manage coronary artery disease through medication and lifestyle changes.
- Comprehensive and personalized treatment options, including surgery and minimally invasive procedures.
- A team approach from doctors and other providers (including cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and vascular surgeons) with specialized training and extensive experience who work together to treat patients with coronary artery disease.
The coronary arteries are the blood vessels responsible for delivering blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your heart. Coronary artery disease occurs when these vessels become obstructed by cholesterol plaque, a condition known as atherosclerosis. This blockage can result in chest pain, heart attacks, and heart failure.
Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease
The treatment for coronary heart disease is tailored to the severity of your symptoms and any other health conditions you may have. The heart team at Englewood Health works together to develop treatment plans based on each patient's individual needs, lifestyle, and preferences.
Lifestyle Changes
Choosing heart-healthy foods, exercising, and quitting smoking are three lifestyle changes you can make to prevent coronary artery disease or help reduce it.
Medications
Various medications are available to treat coronary artery disease and to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, both of which are significant risk factors for heart disease.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
- Angioplasty is a procedure that opens narrowed or blocked blood vessels, using a balloon or laser.
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) combines angioplasty with the insertion of a stent to keep the artery open. The stent is a small, metal mesh tube that's left in place permanently to allow blood to flow more easily.
Englewood Health's heart team has experience with PCI for chronic coronary total occlusion (CTO), which is when a coronary artery is completely blocked by heavy plaque build-up for more than three months. PCI is an option for some patients with this severe type of coronary artery disease. One of the first CTO programs in northern New Jersey, we have performed more than 250 CTO procedures, achieving a 90% success rate. This specialty program has made Englewood Health a regional hub for CTO care.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG)
Coronary artery bypass grafting is an open heart surgery that involves a surgeon connecting a blood vessel from another part of the body to the blocked artery in the heart.
Englewood Health's cardiac surgeons have extensive experience with bypass surgery with excellent outcomes.
- The team has received a three-star rating (the top score) from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
- For high-risk patients (many of whom might not otherwise be candidates for open heart surgery), the team can use the Impella heart pump. This is a small device temporarily implanted into the heart to supports the heart’s function during surgery. It is removed before going home.
- The use of arteries instead of veins for bypass. This procedure, called arterial revascularization, can offer superior outcomes over the use of veins.
- For patients who do not accept blood transfusions, we offer advanced bloodless surgery techniques.
We can now perform interventional cardiology procedures for patients who, in the past, would have been assessed as high-risk candidates, even those with very poor heart muscle function. It gives us a great alternative to surgery and options for patients who are not surgical candidates.
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Aron Schwarcz, MD, Chief of Invasive Cardiology
