Heart Disease Diagnosis & Treatment
Last week, we introduced the wonderful, month-long awareness and fundraising event that is RED FEB. If you haven’t already, sign up to wear red throughout February and raise money for Heart Research Australia.
We also outlined some of the different heart conditions that are included under the term ‘heart disease’, of which there are many. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with any of these, you probably have many questions and emotions.
This week, we are focussing on the diagnostic and treatment methods for heart disease. So, how is heart disease diagnosed?
Diagnosis of heart disease
The diagnosis of heart disease depends on the symptoms you are experiencing. Usually, scans are the first diagnostics that your doctor will refer you for. These include a variety of tests using ultrasounds and x-rays, but the most common is ECG (echocardiogram).
ECG uses ultrasound imaging to view the heart and assess its function. ECG lets technicians view the muscles in the heart as well as how well it is pumping. X-rays are mostly used for heart deformities and infections.
Variations of ECG include the scan being performed on a person while they exercise, on a person that has been injected with a mildly radioactive substance and on a person’s oesophagus while they are under anaesthetic.
Other surgical diagnostic methods include radiofrequency ablation and electrophysiological study, both of which use wires to measure the heart rate. The results of these tests let doctors decide which methods of treatment are appropriate.
Modern treatment of heart disease
There are two main methods of treatment for heart disease: medication and surgery. Within these two categories are numerous sub-categories, grouping the different types of medication and surgery.
Medication for heart disease might aim to thin the blood, lower cholesterol or blood pressure, or widen the arteries. Which medication you are prescribed will depend on the type of heart disease you have and your individual situation.
The most common surgery for heart disease is a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), which replaces a blocked artery with a healthy one from elsewhere in the patient’s body. Other surgeries include physically widening the blood vessels and full heart transplants.
Devices used for heart disease treatment
As well as surgery and medicine, physical devices are sometimes used as a long-term treatment for heart disease. Pacemakers are the best-known device, and they work by detecting a too-slow heartbeat and sending electrical signals to the heart to speed it up.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) do the same as pacemakers for a too-fast heartbeat. Like pacemakers, they are fitted into the body surgically and last many years before needing replacing.
Stents are another treatment device that is left inside the body, and they hold open the arteries where medication is not enough to do so. A catheter is used to open the artery so the stent can be fitted inside.
Diagnosing and treating heart disease
As heart disease is such a complex and varied set of conditions, its diagnosis and treatment methods are also complex and varied. We have covered some of the main methods, but there may be other options depending on your symptoms and diagnosis.
Your doctor is the best person to discuss your personal options with, so get in touch with them if you have any heart-related worries. Next week we will cover the symptoms and risk factors for heart disease, but your doctor will be happy to chat with you in the meantime.