What are the treatments for coronary artery disease?
There are three main treatments for heart disease: • Medicine; • “Balloon” angioplasty and other methods to open up the blockage in your arteries; and • Coronary artery bypass surgery. These treatments work to make the blood flow to the heart muscle better and to lower your chances of having a heart attack. None of these treatments can cure heart disease. In addition to these treatments, you also need to eat healthy, low-fat, low-salt foods and get lots of exercise. 1. Medicine. Taking heart medicine can help more blood flow to the heart muscle by relaxing the arteries that carry blood to your heart, lowering your heart rate, and lowering your blood pressure. Medicine is often the first step in treating heart disease. Some of the medicines used to treat heart disease are nitroglycerin, beta-blockers, and calcium antagonists. If medicine does not work, doctors will try other ways to help get more blood to your heart. 2. “Balloon” Angioplasty and other methods for opening blocked arterie
