Cardiology (Heart Care)

1. Treatment for Cardiac arrest and Treatment for Heart attacks

Cardiac arrest is the condition that occurs due to electrical malfunctioning in the heart which leads to irregular heartbeat and loss of blood flow from the heart to the brain and other organs in the body. Cardiac arrest mostly occurs suddenly and even without warning. A person under cardiac arrest may die if not given the right treatment on time. Symptoms of cardiac arrest include loss of consciousness, unresponsive, sudden collapse, no breathing, no pulse, shortness of breath, fainting, chest pain, and discomfort.

Though cardiac arrest and heart attack are two different heart conditions they are somewhat linked to each other as cardiac arrest mostly occurs after a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when there is a blockage in the artery due to which oxygen-rich blood cannot reach a part of the heart. Heart attack increases the risk of cardiac arrest therefore prevention of heart attack is very important. People should avoid eating high-fat foods that cause fat to build up in the arteries. They should eat a healthy and balanced diet and avoid smoking to prevent heart attacks. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, discomfort, shortness of breath, pain in arms and shoulders, sweating, and fatigue. Heart Attack Diagnosis includes tests like Electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, cardiac CT or MRI, and coronary catheterization. Treatment of heart attack is important for the prevention of cardiac arrest. Surgical treatments for heart attack include coronary angioplasty and stenting, and coronary artery bypass surgery. Medical treatment for heart attack includes blood-thinning medications and pain relievers to be taken after surgical treatment. Moreover, cardiac rehabilitation programs in Lucknow are given for the recovery of the patient.

3. Treatment for Coronary artery disease

Coronary artery disease occurs when the major artery or blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart become diseased or damaged. The main cause of this problem is the cholesterol that forms plaque in the coronary artery due to which blockage occurs. Blockage in the coronary artery reduces the blood flow and causes chest pain, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, and it eventually leads to a heart attack. Risk factors for coronary artery disease comprise of high blood pressure, high level of cholesterol, obesity, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, high stress, and family history of heart disease. Proper diagnosis for coronary artery disease includes some tests like an electrocardiogram, cardiac CT scan, echocardiogram, angiogram, and cardiac catheterization. Treatment for coronary artery disease includes procedures and medications to reduce the blockage and restore the blood flow to the heart. The most common procedures are angioplasty and stent placement, and coronary artery bypass surgery.

5. Treatment for Diabetes

Diabetes is a medical condition that impairs your body’s ability to process blood sugar or glucose. Without careful management, diabetes can cause buildup of sugar in your blood which will increase your risk of getting heart disease or stroke. There are 3 different types of diabetes- Type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when your body becomes incapable of producing insulin. In this condition, the patient has to rely on artificial insulin to stay alive. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and it affects the way your body uses insulin. However your body is still able to make insulin. Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women because during those days a woman’s body becomes somewhat less sensitive to insulin. This problem mostly resolves once the pregnancy is over. 

7. Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Abdominal Aortic aneurysm is a disease which is caused by the enlargement of the abdominal Aorta. This enlargement is usually due to the swelling in the walls of Aorta when they become weak. In case if you don’t know, Aorta is the blood vessel (about the thickness of a garden hose) in the body that takes the blood from the heart and supplies it to the head, abdomen, pelvis, legs and arms.

9. Treatment for Heart murmur

Heart murmur is the sound of turbulent blood flowing through your heart. This sound can be heard using a stethoscope. A murmur can occur in a healthy heart when the blood flows through your heart at a faster rate like when you are doing some vigorous activity or you are suffering from high fever. Such kind of murmur is known as innocent murmur as they are harmless. Harmful murmurs are those that indicate structural abnormality of your heart chamber or valve. Or it may occur due to some abnormal connection between two parts of your heart. Some unusual and abnormal conditions that can cause heart murmur are leaky or tight heart valve, mitral valve prolapse, congenital heart problems, endocarditis, asymmetric septal hypertrophy, and cardiac myxoma. Innocent heart murmurs do not cause any problem therefore they do not require treatment but if you are diagnosed with abnormal heart murmur then you should immediately consult your doctor and get your condition treated. 

11. Treatment for Pediatric and congenital heart disease

Pediatric and congenital heart diseases are the defects in your heart or a part of your heart, occur at the time of your birth. Such defects may occur during pregnancy or at the time of birth. Critical congenital heart disease can be caused by 4 kinds of heart defects including pulmonary stenosis, ventricular septal defect, overriding aorta, and right ventricular hypertrophy. The main cause of congenital heart disease is unknown therefore prevention is difficult. However doctors advise pregnant women to avoid smoking and drinking during pregnancy because there are most cases in which the children are born with congenital heart defects because their mothers used to smoke cigarettes when they were pregnant. Some types of congenital heart defects can be treated with surgical procedures whereas some are too severe to be treated. 

13. Treatment of other Heart diseases

Cardiovascular disease commonly known as heart disease comprises of the conditions that include structural and functional problems of the heart. In other words, you can say that heart disease is a term that covers different disorders related to heart. There are different types of heart diseases like congenital heart disease, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, myocardial infarction or heart attack, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, mitral valve prolapse, mitral regurgitation, and pulmonary stenosis. The symptoms and signs of heart disease can be different depending upon the type of heart disease. However some common symptoms are chest pain, heart palpitations, breathlessness, heartburn, profuse sweating, dizziness and lightheadedness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Most common types of heart disease are caused when there is damage to a part or various parts of the heart. However some types of heart disease like congenital heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are genetic. Risk factors that contribute to development of heart disease are cholesterol and high blood pressure, obesity, fatigue, smoking, diabetes, and lack of physical activity. There are two types of treatments used for heart disease. Initially, medications are given to the patient to treat the condition. Afterwards surgical options are used to correct the condition. Most common surgical procedures for heart disease are angioplasty, placement of pacemakers, coronary artery bypass surgery, and heart transplant.

2. Treatment for congenital heart defects

A congenital heart defect is a defect in the structure of a heart. These defects are found in various parts of the heart including the walls of the heart, veins near the heart, arteries, and valves of the heart. Due to these defects, the normal blood flow through the heart gets disrupted. It results in slowing down of blood flow or blood flow in the wrong direction or sometimes blocking the flow of blood completely. Newborns with congenital heart defects may have symptoms like poor blood circulation, fatigue, cyanosis, and rapid breathing. Doctors use special heart tests and physical exams to diagnose various congenital heart defects. These defects can be found immediately after birth or during the pregnancy period. Some of these defects come with no signs and symptoms at an early age. However, these defects can be diagnosed once the child gets a bit older. Treatment of congenital heart defects include medications, heart transplants, catheter procedures, and surgery.

4. Treatment for High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance found in the cells of our body. Cholesterol is used by our body in making Vitamin D, hormones and some substances that are helpful in the digestion process. Our body is capable of making cholesterol in the required amount. However cholesterol is also derived from foods that come through animals such as meat, yolks, cheese and eggs. High levels of cholesterol in your blood can be dangerous for your health as it combines with the other substances in your blood to build up plaque. This plaque gets stuck to the surrounding walls of your arteries and blocks them partially or completely. It leads to coronary artery disease. Smoking, lack of physical activity, obesity and unhealthy eating habits are the main causes of high cholesterol. Therefore if you want to prevent high cholesterol levels, you have to adapt a healthy lifestyle along with healthy eating habits, regular physical exercise and weight management. 

6. Treatment of Heart arrhythmia

Heart arrhythmias or heart rhythm problems develop when the electrical impulses coordinating your heartbeats do not function properly, eventually causing your heart to beat too slow, too fast, and irregularly. Heart arrhythmias are classified into two types on the basis of speed of the heart rate. These are Tachycardia and Bradycardia. Tachycardia refers to the fast heartbeat whereas bradycardia refers to slow heartbeat. Some noticeable heart arrhythmia symptoms are chest pain, shortness of breath, fluttering in chest, and irregular heartbeat. Other symptoms can be fatigue, sweating, anxiety, fainting, and dizziness. Treatment of heart arrhythmias may involve medications, surgical procedures, and use of implantable devices such as pacemakers, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. 

8. Treatment for Heart failure

Heart failure is a chronic condition when your heart does not pump blood as efficiently as it should. But it does not mean that your heart stops working. It is just that your heart could not function properly. Heart failure can be caused by various conditions that can damage the heart muscles,  such as coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, heart attack, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, valve disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and congenital heart defects. In all these conditions, your heart has to bear a lot of pressure which eventually leads to inefficient functioning by your heart. The common symptoms of heart failure includes congested lungs, weakness, fatigue, dizziness, irregular or rapid heartbeats, and water and fluid retention. Heart failure is of two types- systolic dysfunction and diastolic dysfunction. Diagnosing a heart failure requires a complete physical checkup along with some tests to determine the severity and cause of heart failure. These tests include blood tests, echocardiogram, chest x ray, electrocardiogram, stress test, BNP blood test, and cardiac catheterization. Treatment of heart failure depends upon the severity of the condition. Treatment may include self care like physical exercise, eating a healthy and balanced diet but with less salt, limiting the intake of fluids, and quit smoking. Along with this, prescribed medication should be taken along with therapy. In severe cases of heart failure, surgery has to be done. 

10. Treatment for Hypertension (Treatment for high blood pressure)

High blood pressure or hypertension is a very common condition in which the pressure or force exerted by your blood against the walls of your blood vessels is too high. This condition may lead to severe heart problems and health conditions. It also increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, heart attack  and heart disease. The main cause of hypertension is still unknown. However some health conditions that can contribute to hypertension are kidney disease or diabetes due to nerve damage or kidney problem, hyperthyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperparathyroidism, cushing syndrome, obesity, pregnancy, and sleep apnea. Management and treatment of hypertension includes lifestyle adjustments along with regular physical exercise, stress reduction, medication, reducing salt intake, moderating your alcohol consumption, eating less fat and more fruits and vegetables, and managing your weight. 

12. Treatment for Stroke

Stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when the supply of blood to a part of your heart is reduced or interrupted, thus preventing nutrients and oxygen to reach blood tissue and eventually causing damage or death of brain cells. There are two general causes of stroke- bursting or leaking of blood vessels, and blockage in the artery. The former condition is called hemorrhagic stroke whereas the latter is called ischemic stroke. Factors that can increase your risk of getting stroke are high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, heavy drinking, obesity, physical inactivity, and use of psychoactive drugs especially like methamphetamine and cocaine. Stroke is a severe condition that may lead to permanent or temporary disabilities such as paralysis, memory loss, numbness and pain, emotional problems, and muscle movement related problems. Stroke prevention strategies include controlling hypertension, reducing the level of cholesterol, avoid smoking and tobacco use, managing diabetes, eating diet rich in vegetables and fruits, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy weight, avoiding alcohol and psychoactive drugs, and treating sleep apnea. To diagnose the type of stroke you have, your doctor will conduct a CT scan or some other imaging tests. Treatment may differ as per the type of stroke.