South Miami Heart Center Specializes in Coronary Artery Disease and Cardiac Care

Understanding Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the primary cause of death in America today, according to the American Heart Association. Fortunately, South Miami Heart Center is a hospital that specializes in cardiac care. We deliver the latest treatments, technologies and skilled, compassionate care for patients with CAD.

About Coronary Artery Disease

The coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to your heart. When they narrow, you can develop CAD.  The narrowing results from a buildup of fatty material within the artery walls. This buildup limits the amount of oxygen-rich blood the arteries carry to your heart.

Basically, your heart is a pump, and, like any pump, it needs fuel to function. Your heart muscle tissue, myocardium, requires oxygen and nutrients. It also needs to have waste substances removed. While your heart pumps blood throughout your body, the myocardium receives oxygen and nutrients from the coronary arteries. An inadequate blood supply means your heart won’t function well. If the arteries continue to narrow, it can lead to a heart attack.

Are You at Risk?

If you have any of the following symptoms, you may be at risk for coronary artery disease:

• High LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, high triglyceride levels and reduced HDL, or “good,” cholesterol
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• Obesity
• High saturated fat diet
• Diabetes
• Blocked carotid artery

Symptoms

Symptoms associated with coronary artery disease can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• High LDL cholesterol, high triglyceride levels and reduced HDL cholesterol
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Smoking
• Palpitations
• Shortness of breath

The early stages of CAD often have no symptoms. The disease will progress until the arteries become so blocked that symptoms and problems occur. Left untreated, CAD can cause a heart attack.

Experience Results in Exceptional Cardiac Care

South Miami Heart Center helps people with CAD improve their health and quality of life. Our commitment to your health is why we provide screening, diagnosis, prevention and treatment designed for people with coronary artery disease. Our physicians work with you to help you manage and treat CAD before it has serious consequences.

Treating Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is an effective treatment for coronary artery disease in certain patients. By correcting a blocked or narrowed artery or arteries, CABG restores blood supply to the heart. Also called bypass graft surgery or arterial (in the legs and abdomen) bypass surgery, this surgery actually creates a detour around the narrow or blocked part of an artery. It does this by means of attaching another blood vessel taken from elsewhere in the body. This reroutes the blood so it reaches the heart without obstruction. The blood vessels, or grafts, are sections of a vein taken from the patient’s legs or a chest artery.

Traditional open heart bypass surgery is still performed in some situations. However, new, less invasive techniques are also used. Two such techniques are robot-assisted surgery, which is performed with help from a moving mechanical device, as well as minimally invasive procedures that use tiny incisions. Another surgical improvement is endoscopic vein harvesting. In this procedure, surgeons use an endoscope (a thin surgical tube with a light and camera on the end) to find blood vessels needed for the bypass.

Physician Referral

Get an to a South Miami Heart Center physician or call the South Miami Heart Center Physician Referral line at 786-662-2222.