Heart disease – also referred to as cardiovascular disease – is called a silent killer because there are no symptoms. Many people learn they have it only after they develop chest or head pain – or worse.

According to the American Heart Association, most instances of cardiovascular disease are related to atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of a fatty material called plaque in the arteries. Over time, atherosclerosis can narrow or completely block arteries that feed blood to the heart and brain. If a clot forms in these arteries, it can trigger a stroke or a heart attack.

Other forms of cardiovascular disease include heart failure, in which the heart is pumping but the body isn’t getting the oxygenated blood it needs; arrhythmia, a disorder characterized by the heart pumping too fast or too slowly; and stenosis, a condition where the heart’s valves do not close as they should, so blood doesn’t move through them properly.

Finding answers

The Heart and Vascular Care center at JFK has been diagnosing and treating heart disease for over 20 years. The following tests are among those used to identify cardiovascular disease:

• Electrocardiography: Also called ECG or EKG. Records the electric activity in the heart.
• Echocardiography: Uses ultrasound waves to create images of the heart’s structures, including chambers and valves.
• Holter monitor: This is a portable electrocardiograph machine worn by a patient over a 24-hour period. The patient takes notes about their general health and these are compared with the data collected by the machine.
• Stress testing: The most widely used heart screening procedure, the patient’s heart rate, blood pressure and breathing are monitored as they increase their speed on a treadmill.
• Cardiac catheterization: A thin plastic tube is threaded from a groin artery into the coronary arteries or the heart itself, and images are taken to confirm narrowing or blockage of the arteries.

JFK Medical Center also offers a non-invasive AngioScreen^® ultrasound procedure that can identify narrowed or blocked arteries in the neck and legs, which increases a person’s risk of stroke. The screening is quick – about 15 minutes – and you may remain in your street clothes.

Heart treatment options

When diagnostic tests are completed and the results analyzed, the patient’s physician will determine a treatment plan. Depending on the patient’s condition, initial treatment may consist of diet and exercise adjustments, medication and monitoring.

However, if the patient’s cardiovascular disease is more advanced, a cardiologist will likely recommend cardiac catheterization to treat narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, or open heart surgery to correct defects.

Catheterization is the use of a thin plastic tube inserted into a groin artery and threaded into the coronary arteries or the heart itself.

This minimally-invasive procedure can be used as a diagnostic tool to find narrowed or blocked arteries. It can also be used to insert a stent (mesh tube) into narrowed and weakened coronary arteries to strengthen them; to remove clots; and to push arterial plaque back against the arteries using an inflatable balloon at the tip of the catheter.

Finding out you have cardiovascular disease can make you anxious. But the caring and skilled physicians, nurses and support staff at JFK Medical Center will help put you back on the road to good health.

If you would like a referral for a cardiologist, contact Consult-A-Nurse^® at 1-888-256-7723, or visit JFK Medical Center online.