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Heart Blockage Treatments

The heart is one of the strongest muscles in the human body. It is responsible for pumping blood to the whole system with steady, consistent beats without ever taking a complete rest. Over the course of time, the arteries and valves in the heart can suffer blockage, which is usually due to high fat diets and poor lifestyle choices. When this is the case, the likelihood of a heart attack goes up, which can be fatal. With that being said, there are various treatment options available to reverse a heart blockage.

  1. Cholesterol Drugs

    • A big reason for blockage in the heart is from a fatty substance that builds up in the arteries called plaque. This usually forms when the cholesterol levels are high. A way to treat high cholesterol is with cholesterol lowering drugs that are prescribed by your doctor. Some of these include niacin, bile, fibrates and statins. Cholesterol can also be lowered by eliminating saturated fats and processed foods from the diet.

    Beta Blockers

    • Being that the heart has a high work load supplying blood and oxygen to the whole body, there are ways to make this job easier. Beta blockers are prescription drugs that can be utilized to lower blood pressure, decrease the demand of oxygen, slow down the heart's rhythm and also help the heart to relax. Some examples of these are propranolol, metoprolol and antenolol.

    Vitamins

    • Atherosclerosis is the medical term for clogged arteries. There is a substance in the blood called homocysteine that has been linked to this condition. With that being said, there are various vitamins that can be used to help reduce the homocysteine levels. Some of these include Vitamin B-12, Vitamin B-6, folic acid, Omega-3 fatty acids and L-arginine.

    Angioplasty

    • When the arteries around the heart are clogged, there is a procedure called angioplasty that is often times done to unblock them. In this treatment, a long tube called a catheter is inserted into a clogged artery. At the end if this tube there is a balloon that gets inflated causing the blockage to be released. A tiny wire device called a stent is then placed in the artery to make sure that it stays open.

    Bypass

    • In more extreme cases, an artery can become completely blocked or almost completely blocked. When this is the case, a major operation called coronary artery bypass surgery takes place. In this procedure, a blood vessel called a graft is removed from another place on the body and it is attached to the heart around the area where the blockage is occurring. This can be done in one or more arteries depending on the number of blockages.

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