health

CAD can be treated with a combination of lifestyle changes, medications,
and possibly surgery. Lifestyle changes include quitting smoking, losing
weight if needed, getting enough exercise, and coping more effectively
with stress.

The doctor may prescribe one or more types of medications to
treat CAD. These medications may prevent or delay the need for
surgery:

• Drugs to lower blood cholesterol levels. These may include niacin,
  fibrates, and a group of drugs known as statins.
• Aspirin and other drugs that prevent blood clots from forming.
  
• Nitroglycerin. This drug relieves the pain of angina by opening
  (dilating) the coronary arteries and by reducing the heart muscle’s
  need for oxygen.
  
• Beta blockers. These drugs slow down the heart rate, lowering
  blood pressure and reducing the heart’s need for oxygen.
  
• ACE inhibitors. Drugs in this group dilate the coronary arteries
  and lower blood pressure.
  
• Calcium channel blockers. These drugs also dilate the coronary
  arteries to increase the flow of blood to heart muscle.

In some cases the patient’s doctor may recommend surgery in order
to prevent a fatal heart attack. The two operations that are most commonly
performed are coronary artery bypass surgery and coronary
angioplasty. In bypass surgery, the surgeon takes a piece of a healthy
artery from another part of the patient’s body and sews it in place to
go around a blocked coronary artery to restore normal blood flow to the
heart. In a coronary angioplasty, the surgeon inserts a catheter with a
special balloon tip into the coronary artery. When the catheter is in the
proper position, the balloon is expanded, which reopens the blocked
artery. The surgeon will then insert a stent, which is a tube made of
metal mesh, to keep the artery open. Some stents also contain a slowrelease
medication.