Medical Underwriting Corner: What is Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)?

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when there is sudden blockage of blood flow in an artery traveling to the heart (a coronary artery), causing the heart muscle to undergo cell death due to a lack of oxygen supply.

Angina is chest pain that does not result in a heart attack but serves as a warning sign of a partially blocked artery.  Ischemia is a descriptive term for this impaired blood and oxygen supply to the heart.

The number of arteries containing a blockage and the degree of blockage expressed in percent, are used to determine the severity of CAD.  In addition, other factors taken into consideration are the ability of the heart muscle to contract which is the pumping function of the heart, and if applicable, whether there is a tendency for arrhythmias of the heart to occur.

A coronary angiogram (AKA cardiac catheterization) uses a type of dye to image the blood flow to the coronary arteries.  A technique called angioplasty opens the blockage with a balloon that is inflated, removed, and then a stent is placed in the vessel. If the arterial blockages are extensive, then a surgical heart procedure called coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) may be done in which small pieces of blood vessels from other parts of the body are taken and connected over the blockages to restore the blood flow beyond them.

Physicians use Cardiac Risk Factors to guide medical therapy with the goal of preventing heart attacks from occurring and/or to limit further progression of coronary artery disease/atherosclerosis after a heart attack.  In addition, it is important to maintain good health under a physician’s care, such as being physically active, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a normal weight for height, and not smoking.  If needed, physicians can prescribe medications to control blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol.

-Lisa Papazian, M.D., DBIM