If you’ve recently been diagnosed with heart disease, you might be wondering what kinds of treatments are available to you. Here at Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, GA, we can guide you through some of the latest advances in heart disease treatment. In this article, you’ll learn how these innovations work, their benefits, and the types of heart-related conditions they can help address.
The Latest Advancements in Heart Disease Treatment
In the United States, heart disease is still a major public health concern. However, patients now have new hope thanks to advancements in cardiology and medical technology. These developments are helping to increase heart disease survival rates, reduce symptoms, and improve quality of life.
Advanced Imaging Techniques
Cardiac imaging is how your cardiologist can view your heart’s structure and how well it is functioning. Today, there are a wide range of cardiovascular imaging techniques that can be used to get a snapshot of your heart’s performance and the type of heart disease that you might have. These technologies can also guide treatment plans and improve surgical outcomes.
Cardiac MRI is considered the gold standard of cardiac imaging. It is effective in identifying structural and functional abnormalities of the heart, such as thickened heart chamber muscle or weakened ventricle function. When it comes to stent placements, techniques like angiography and intravascular imaging provide cardiologists with a clearer view of blood vessels and their level of plaque build-up. This information helps determine appropriate stent size and placement, clearing blockages that could cause heart attacks.
Minimally Invasive Surgery
If the thought of having heart surgery makes you anxious, there are minimally invasive surgical techniques available for heart disease treatment. These techniques typically involve smaller incisions and the use of robotic technology to minimize impact. They can help patients recover faster with less pain and reduced risk of post-surgery complications.
For example, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is one type of surgery that allows for the replacement of a damaged valve without needing to open up the chest. Instead, TAVR inserts a catheter through the patient’s leg or chest and guides it to the heart, deploying the new valve. This innovative type of surgery is beneficial for patients deemed high-risk and offers faster recovery time.
Wearable Technology and Remote Monitoring
You might already be tracking your steps with a smartwatch or other wearable device. This technology can also help you monitor your heart and assist with managing heart disease conditions. Using various sensors and software algorithms, these devices can track your heart’s performance and are now being used to help detect early signs of heart problems. You’ll spot professional athletes with a range of wearable devices today, tracking their performance and monitoring signs of potential heart issues.
Remote monitoring systems are also being used to diagnose and monitor heart conditions. ECG monitors can be worn over a period of time to check heart performance and detect any abnormalities. Blood pressure monitors can also help to identify and treat hypertension and related conditions. These systems allow you to send your data directly to your healthcare provider, reducing the need for visits and helping to alert authorities to instances where immediate medical attention is needed, such as a heart attack.
Lifestyle and Behavioral Interventions
It is now known that maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and reducing stress are essential components of heart disease treatment and lessening the effects of heart disease. Reducing or avoiding things like alcohol and tobacco can also help to improve heart health. Our clinic’s adult medicine specialists and cardiologists have extensive experience working with patients to create and carry out individualized strategies to help improve overall health.
We now know more about the effects that a non-active lifestyle might have on heart health. Even managing to do around 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week can help to improve your physical and cardiovascular fitness. Proven to be effective in lowering stress levels, mindfulness practices can support heart-healthy habits like quitting smoking. These interventions offer huge benefits for health and well-being and are now backed up by research.
Innovative Medications
Medications are still a helpful tool for treating and controlling conditions associated with heart disease, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Patients who may not respond well to traditional drugs like statins are benefitting from new types of medications, or the application of medications for other conditions, which are helping to improve patient outcomes.
PCSK9 inhibitors have proven effective in lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a heart disease risk factor. Patients unable to take statins or who have tried other medications to reduce their LDL levels may benefit from this treatment. It has also been found that individuals without diabetes can benefit from the heart-healthy effects of glucose-lowering medications, such as SGLT2 inhibitors. These are just two examples of available innovative treatments that your cardiologist can discuss with you.
Precision Medicine and Genetic Testing
A game changer in the world of heart disease treatment is the emergence of genetic testing and precision medicine. Some heart diseases, such as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, may be inherited. Or, there may be a genetic disposition to certain risk factors, such as high LDL cholesterol. Genetic testing is increasingly being used to identify specific mutations, which can be addressed early on and prevent the onset of heart disease.
Precision medicine combines these genetic findings with lifestyle and environmental factors into a tailored treatment plan unique to the individual. By analyzing the individual profile, specialists can more accurately predict the risk of heart disease. They can develop targeted preventative measures that have a high chance of being successful, and eliminate medications or treatments with adverse side effects. Both precision medicine and genetic testing have the benefits of early diagnosis, precise interventions, and reduced side effects from medication and treatments.
Book Your Next Cardiology Consultation With Us
These are just some of the exciting innovations that are transforming heart disease treatment across the United States. If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, or consider yourself to be at risk, now is the time to take decisive action to improve your health and wellbeing. Contact us at Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, GA to book your next cardiology consultation.
