The most common type of heart disease among Americans, coronary artery disease (CAD) happens when your coronary arteries narrow and harden, which slows or blocks the flow of blood to your heart. It can cause several heart-related problems including arrhythmias and heart failure.
Common symptoms of CAD include angina and shortness of breath, but it’s also common for people with CAD to not experience any symptoms at all. Often people do not realize they have CAD until after they have a medical emergency, such as a heart attack or stroke.
After more than 25 years, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons at Palo Alto Medical Foundation continue to provide advanced diagnostic testing and treatments for CAD. PAMF offers several non-invasive and cardiac catheterization techniques to detect and treat CAD at its earliest stage.
If you are diagnosed with CAD, our cardiovascular specialists offer several treatment options that can slow the progression of the disease, and in some cases reverse its effects. Your treatment plan may include medication, lifestyle changes, devices such as intra-aortic balloon pumps and percutaneous ventricular assist devices (PVAD). It may also include interventional procedures such as clot removal (Thrombectomy), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and revascularization, surgery, and cardiac rehabilitation.
As the technology for heart surgery and other procedures has advanced, our ability to provide solutions for patients with CAD has greatly improved. Doctors at PAMF carefully track their results and strive to constantly enhance our excellent outcomes. We view each patient as both a medical case and a human being, and take great care to make sure we address your needs with information, choices and considerate care.
