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Treatment & CareTreatments for heart disease range from low-tech to high-tech. Read about them here. You'll also find

advice for caregivers -- including tips for caregiver care.

TreatmentCPR

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation -- CPR -- is one link in what the merican !eart ssociation calls the

"chain of survival." #earn CPR for a loved one.

Heart Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

$edical care is essential once heart disease is diagnosed% with the goals of stabili&ing the condition

immediately% controlling symptoms over the long term% and providing a cure when possible.

SurgeriesStents

et information about heart stents% why they(re used% and what types are available.

Angioplasty and Stents

ngioplasty is a non-surgical procedure that can be used to open blocked heart arteries. )tent placementis another option that can be done during angioplasty.

Heart Bypass Surgery

!eart bypass surgery can be used to treat heart disease when your coronary arteries are blocked. Your

doctor may treat the problem by giving the blood a new pathway to the heart.

Valve Disease Treatment

*hen treatment for heart valve disease includes surgery% it can be performed by traditional surgery or

minimally invasive balloon valvuloplasty.

Cardioversion

+or many people with heart disease% drugs alone will not convert an arrhythmia to a normal heart rhythm.

+or these people% a procedure called cardioversion or electrical cardioversion may be necessary.

EECP

,,CP can help stimulate blood vessels to develop small branches% creating a natural bypass around

narrowed or blocked arteries that cause the chest pain.

Ablation

blation is used to treat abnormal heart rhythms% or arrhythmias. The type of arrhythmia and the presence

of other heart disease will determine whether ablation can be performed surgically or non-surgically.

Pacemaers

pacemaker is a small device that sends electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable

heart rate and rhythm. pacemaker may also be used to treat fainting spells syncope% congestive heart

failure% and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

!mplantable Cardioverter De"ibrillators #!CD$

Treatment for abnormal heart rhythms is possible with an /C0% or implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

%ead Etraction

lead e1traction is the removal of one or more leads from inside the heart. #eads that are placed outside

the heart during open heart surgery cannot be removed during this type of procedure.

%e"t Ventricular Assist Device #%VAD$

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/cprhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/understanding-heart-disease-treatmenthttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/stents-types-and-useshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treatment-angioplasty-stentshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-bypass-surgeryhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/valve-disease-treatmenthttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-cardioversionhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treating-chronic-angina-eecphttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treating-arrhythmias-ablationhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/abnormal-rhythyms-pacemakerhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/abnormal-rhythms-icdhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/lead-extractionhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treating-left-ventricular-devicehttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/understanding-heart-disease-treatmenthttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/stents-types-and-useshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treatment-angioplasty-stentshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-bypass-surgeryhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/valve-disease-treatmenthttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-cardioversionhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treating-chronic-angina-eecphttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treating-arrhythmias-ablationhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/abnormal-rhythyms-pacemakerhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/abnormal-rhythms-icdhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/lead-extractionhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treating-left-ventricular-devicehttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/cpr

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The left ventricular assist device% #20 or 20% is a kind of mechanical heart. /t's placed inside a person's

chest% where it helps the heart pump o1ygen-rich blood throughout the body.

Heart Transplant

heart transplant is the replacement of a person's diseased heart with a healthy donor's heart. The donor

is a person who has died and whose family has agreed to donate their loved one's organs.

'edicationsACE !n(ibitors

ngiotensin converting en&yme C, inhibitors are heart medications that widen or dilate your blood

vessels to improve the amount of blood your heart pumps and lower blood pressure.

Angiotension !! Receptor Blocers

These heart drugs decrease certain chemicals that narrow the blood vessels% allowing blood to flow more

easily through your body. They also decrease certain chemicals that cause salt and fluid build-up in the

body.

Antiarr(yt(mics

ntiarrhythmia drugs are used to treat abnormal heart rhythms resulting from irregular electrical activity of

the heart.

Antiplatelet Drugs

ntiplatelet drugs are used to treat heart disease. They are a group of powerful medications that prevent

the formation of blood clots.

Aspirin T(erapy

+or more than 344 years% aspirin has been used as a pain reliever. )ince the 3564s% aspirin has also

been used to prevent and manage heart disease and stroke.

Beta)Blocer T(erapy

7eta-blockers are one of the most widely prescribed class of drugs to treat hypertension high blood

pressure and are a mainstay treatment of congestive heart failure.

Calcium C(annel Blocer DrugsCalcium channel blockers are heart disease drugs that rela1 blood vessels and increase the supply of

blood and o1ygen to the heart while also reducing the heart's workload.

Clot Buster Drugs

Clot buster drugs% or thrombolytic therapy% are a type of heart medication given in the hospital through the

veins intravenous to break up blood clots.

Digoin

/f you have heart disease% 0igo1in is a medication that helps an in8ured or weakened heart work more

efficiently to send blood through the body.

Diuretics

iuretics% commonly known as "water pills%" help your body get rid of unneeded water and salt through the

urine. etting rid of e1cess fluid makes it easier for your heart to pump and controls blood pressure.

*itrates

9itrates are vasodilators that are used to treat angina in people with coronary artery disease or chest pain

caused by blocked blood vessels of the heart.

+ar"arin and ,t(er Blood T(inners

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/transplantation-treatmenthttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-ace-inhibitorshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-angiotension-iihttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-antiarrhythmicshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/antiplatelet-drugshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/aspirin-therapyhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/beta-blocker-therapyhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-calcium-channel-blocker-drugshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-clot-bustershttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treatment-digoxinhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-diureticshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-vasodilatorshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/warfarin-other-blood-thinnershttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/transplantation-treatmenthttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-ace-inhibitorshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-angiotension-iihttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-antiarrhythmicshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/antiplatelet-drugshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/aspirin-therapyhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/beta-blocker-therapyhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-calcium-channel-blocker-drugshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-clot-bustershttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/treatment-digoxinhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-diureticshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/medicine-vasodilatorshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/warfarin-other-blood-thinners

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*arfarin% which goes by the brand name Coumadin% is an anticoagulant medication. This means that it

helps prevent clots from forming in the blood. 7lood thinners are used to treat some types of heart

disease.

CarePlant)Based Diet "or Heart Healt(

/s a plant-based diet good for your heart: $ore research needs to be done% but early studies suggest itmay have a number of benefits.

Recovery A"ter Heart Surgery

fter you or someone you love returns home after heart surgery% these are some of the things you should

know.

-inding Strengt( During Toug( Times

Caregivers should be mindful of the psychosocial% cultural% and spiritual aspects of health and illness% as

well as the effects of these factors on themselves and their loved ones.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/plant-based-diet-for-heart-healthhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-recovering-after-heart-surgeryhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/strength-tough-timeshttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/plant-based-diet-for-heart-healthhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/heart-disease-recovering-after-heart-surgeryhttp://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/strength-tough-times