High Cholesterol, high HDL, low triglycerides

Dr T Ask Doctor T, Cardiac Risks 54 Comments

 Question:   I’d like to ask a question about my recent cholesterol test results.  I had it tested for the first time ever recently.  I am a 38-yr-old female, 5’3″ and 115 lbs, no known health issues.  I do cardio exercise 4 -6 days a week for a half hour.  My diet is fairly healthy, as I actively avoid high …

Broken Heart Syndrome

Dr T Ask Doctor T, Cardiac Risks, Chest Pain 1 Comment

Question:    Hi. Can you please explain the difference between a heart attack and Broken Heart Syndrome.  My daughter had a baby and then the next day was told she was having a heart attack.  Her cardiac enzymes did elevate.  Now the doctor is calling it Broken heart syndrome.  Would cardiac enzymes elevated with broken heart syndrome or only in …

What treatment for a heart blockage is best?

Dr T Ask Doctor T, Cardiac Risks, Treatment 3 Comments

Question: I have been advised by my primary physician to schedule a cardiac catherization and possible stent placement procedure after having a Nuclear Stress Test with the following “Findings: The study quality is excellent. There is no transient LV ischemic dilatation noted. The left ventricular chamber dimensions are normal. There is a mild to moderately reduced perfusion defect of moderate …

Stents vs. CABG in the Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease

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The medical literature and my own experience support this course of action if a procedure becomes necessary for the treatment of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): In stable patients, optimal medical therapy should be the initial treatment of choice; If you have only one or two blockages (unless it includes a “Left Main Lesion”) and a good heart function , a Stent …

Cardiac Health Video

Dr T Cardiac Risks, Treatment, Your Heart Rhythm 14 Comments

Video Q&A 4/25/2014 The associated PowerPoint Presentation can be found here. I have made some minor changes to make it easier to view. The associated links will redirect you to the appropriate web pages. Please complete this questionnaire if you’d like to participate in the next live video session. I need the information ahead of time! Dr T

Stents and Arrhythmias Powerpoint Presentation

Dr T Treatment 1 Comment

Stents and Arrhythmias Powerpoint presentation used in the Q&A video session of 4/25/2014 (click on the Powerpoint screen to advance and follow the automations within the slides where necessary): This is an embedded <a target=”_blank” href=”http://office.com”>Microsoft Office</a> presentation, powered by <a target=”_blank” href=”http://office.com/webapps”>Office Online</a>.

“Cardiac perspectives from a heart surgeon”

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In March 2013,  I participated in a Podcast and several articles, published as “New fronts in heart disease: perspectives from a heart surgeon” in the Digital Journal. In it, I had the opportunity to discuss advances in the the treatment and prevention of heart disease. These were the questions that I addressed during the interview. For the answers I chose from …

Cardiac Surgery Risk Analysis

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 Since its first publication, our cardiac surgery risk calculator has proven very popular, with over 1000 completed questionnaires since August, 2010. Although the validity of the analysis is somewhat questionable, it has nonetheless shown some interesting results and showcases how this type of data can be utilized, especially if coupled with outcome analysis.   I have made some assumptions: While …

More about Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

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While the buzz in treatment for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is all about Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) or “Stenting”, relatively little information about Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is available. CABG, despite often being labeled as painful, expensive and risky, is in many ways the opposite: an efficient method of returning blood flow to the heart back to normal. Relatively …