Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of death in Thailand. It killed 20,855 Thai people per year means that mean 2 people are dead in an hour and numbers are still increasing.
What is coronary artery disease?
Happens when the arteries that supply blood to heart muscle become narrowed. This is due to cholesterol plaque accumulate on the inner wall of blood vessels and less blood can flow through the arteries. In some cases, cholesterol plaque can log out and block other heart vessels which can cause the heart attack.
Which symptoms must be “Aware?”
Even this disease can cause you to death but the sign of symptoms are silence and make many people does not aware of this. Most of the patients come to see the doctor by chest pain or feel tired during exercise or working hard but these symptoms will disappear when they rest for a while. In some cases, patient may get severe chest pain, sweat and shortness of breath. If you facing these symptoms, you must come to see a doctor immediately.
“Unavoidable” factor
Getting older is one of the risk factor of coronary artery disease, especially in elderly person who has an underlying disease; it will be difficult to treat and more dangerous.
By the way, aging is not the only one factor.
Genetic inheritance is the other factor that can cause this disease, family member that have a history of Coronary artery disease will likely to have a chance to develop this disease easily than normal population.
Gender is also one of the factor too, male is more likely to have this disease than female but elderly female will get the equal chance to male.
5 High risk Habits!
- Heavy Smoking
- Consuming sweet, oily and salty foods
- Lack of excercise
- Obesity
- Stress and lack of sleep
All these habits will increase the risk of coronary artery disease but we can avoid all of this by stopping these.
Innovation for treatment
Nowadays, coronary artery disease can be treated by CABG “Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting surgery” CABG uses blood vessels from other part of the body and connects them to blood vessels that narrowed and bypassing the narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. This will create the new channel for blood flow and improve the blockage problem.
In the past, operation may have to use heart–lung machine or “the pump” to support blood flow when the patient’s heart stop pumping during the operation for helping the surgeon easy to operation but this machine also have an advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is when the heart stops beating, surgeons will be able to perform new arteries easily. The downside is that it can cause inflammation throughout the body, as all the blood in the body must come out through the artificial heart-lung machine to fill up the oxygen and return it to the patient. It can also cause abnormal bleeding after surgery, as well as potential recovery and lower heart function after surgery.
For now, the new alternative way to do this operation is Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting that no need to stop the heart from beating by using an equipment that can make an area that need to do a surgery stay still, the surgeon will be decide which solution that suit with the current symptoms.
Not only the bypass surgery that can be used for the Coronary artery disease, Coronary Artery Angiography: CAG that can be done through the leg and wrist blood vessles is also another choice for this disease.
For every surgery will be up to the doctor decision that which one is the best solution for the patient.
For more information please contact
Phyathai 3 Heart Center
Tel. 0-2467-1111 ext. 3290
