This week, I want to take a break from our series on cardiac disorders and turn to a more general and practical discussion of how you can get the most out of a cardiology consultation. Let’s assume you’ve made an appointment to see a new cardiologist—perhaps you’ve been having chest pain. Or shortness of breath. Or palpitations. Or you have had a cardiologist previously…
Last week, we talked about PFO’s—what they are and how we find them. This week we’ll turn to a discussion of what we do when we find one. Because PFO’s are common and the vast majority of people have no consequences from their presence, we don’t generally close them. It is controversial whether patients with an asymptomatic PFO should take aspirin or…
What does it mean to have a “hole” in your heart? Is blood leaking out? How can you have this without knowing about it? A hole in the heart means that there is a connection between two chambers that shouldn’t be there. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a connection between the right and left atria. Blood normally passes from…
We discussed aortic aneurysms in last week’s blog and this week we’ll talk about what we do to prevent their rupture. First, we have to know that the aneurysm is there. Widespread screening for aneurysms is not practical, so it is usually the case that they are discovered by chance. For instance, a person may have nausea and abdominal pain and get…
This week we turn our attention to a problem outside the heart—aortic aneurysms. An aneurysm is a focal enlargement or bulging of a blood vessel. It comes from the Greek word meaning “dilation.” In fact, radiology reports will often use the term “dilated” to refer to a vessel that is larger than normal, but not large enough or focal enough to use…
In the last two weeks, I have discussed the two most common valvular problems that we cardiologists see—AS and MR. This week I’ll give a quick overview of the other valvular problems that we can encounter. First of all, the aortic valve can also develop regurgitation. Called “AR,” aortic regurgitation, when severe, can lead to heart enlargement, shortness of breath, chest pain,…
We turn this week to another valvular problem: mitral regurgitation. Unlike aortic stenosis, where the valve doesn’t open all the way, in mitral regurgitation (usually abbreviated “MR”) the mitral valve (sitting between the left atrium and left ventricle) doesn’t close completely, allowing blood to regurgitate backward. Physicians often describe this condition to their patients as having a “leaky valve.” The causes of…
Last week we introduced the concept of valvular heart disease, starting with a discussion of how valves in the heart work, and then touching briefly on how they malfunction. Today we’ll be talking about one of the most common forms of valvular dysfunction: aortic stenosis (generally abbreviated “AS”). AS is increasingly prevalent as we age, though it is not by any…
This week I’d like to start a series of blogs relating to valvular heart disease, starting with a description of the heart valves and how they work. We have four valves in our hearts and their purpose is to keep blood moving in a single direction. They open during one phase of the cardiac cycle (systole or diastole, depending on which valve…
Statins is the term we use to describe a group of drugs that block an enzyme that is integral to the process by which the liver makes cholesterol. They include the drugs rosuvastatin (Crestor®), atorvastatin (Lipitor®), simvastatin (Zocor®), pitavastatin (Livalo®), pravastatin (Pravachol®), lovastatin (Mevacor®) and fluvastatin (Lescol®). In my 25 years as a cardiologist, I don’t think there is another class…