FAQs and Answers

 

We have found that the best treatment begins with an informed patient. Learn more about common terms and procedures, and what to expect as you begin to explore your options for diagnosis and treatment.

 

How do I get to Mohawk Valley Heart Institute?

MVHI's facilities span several locations at St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare campuses (see maps, right).

St. Elizabeth Medical Center

The patient may be dropped off at the main entrance carport (indicated in blue on detailed map, right), and parking is available in the parking garage (red path on detailed map). Locations within the facility are listed below:

Surgery is located on the 4th floor. Look for the Cardiothoracic Operating Room (CTOR).

The Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) is also on the 4th floor. A waiting room is available.

The cafeteria and chapel are located on the Main floor.

After parking (see maps, above right), you can use the walking bridge on the 2nd floor of the parking garage to enter the facility near elevators 4-5.

The Catheterization Lab is located on the 2nd floor. A waiting room is available.

The Electrophysiology Lab is also on the 2nd floor. A waiting room is available.

What is Coronary Artery Disease?
 
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the most common form of heart disease in the United States. The coronary arteries supply the heart with blood and oxygen. Normally, the inside walls of these arteries are smooth and unobstructed, allowing blood to flow easily. Disease develops over time with the buildup of plaque, which is a mixture of cholesterol, mineral deposits and scar tissue. As plaque continues to accumulate, it narrows the artery and can reduce or even block the flow of blood. Blood flow may be reduced enough to cause symptoms of angina (chest discomfort), heart attack, or even death.
 
CAD can lead to a number of other heart conditions, such as heart failure (the inability of the heart to pump blood efficiently) or arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). These conditions may cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations, and dizziness. Many people with severe coronary heart disease are entirely free of symptoms. In fact, the first sign of the disease is often a heart attack.
 
How is Coronary Artery Disease treated?

There are several treatment options for coronary artery disease, including medications, coronary angioplasty/stenting and bypass surgery. Medications can help to reduce the symptoms of angina by increasing the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart muscle and reducing the amount of oxygen the heart needs. However, these drugs only treat the symptoms, and don’t remove blockages in the coronary arteries.

Coronary angioplasty is a technique that opens narrowed coronary arteries without surgery. A special catheter (surgical tube) with a small balloon at the tip is inserted into the diseased artery. When the balloon is inflated, it stretches the artery and flattens the plaque. This helps to improve blood flow to the heart muscle.

Stents are small devices placed in the coronary artery at the time of angioplasty to help keep the vessels open. A stent resembles a miniature spring, and acts like a tiny metal scaffold that provides support to the artery's walls. The stent is a permanent implant and remains in the artery.

Although angioplasty is successful in most cases, it does have some limitations. In particular, blockages in the artery may recur. In many patients, angioplasty may not be an option. When an artery is totally blocked or when there are multiple blockages, bypass surgery may be the only option.

Coronary artery bypass surgery is a heart operation that goes around (or bypasses) clogged heart arteries using blood vessels taken from another part of the body. During surgery, the surgeon takes a blood vessel from the chest or leg, attaches one end to the aorta (the large artery that comes out of the heart), and the other end to the coronary artery below the point where it’s clogged. Blood can then flow through the new vessel(s) to the heart.
 
Despite an initially successful surgery, some patients can develop symptoms again. Most often, this is caused by the progression of disease in the coronary arteries. New fatty deposits can also build up inside the bypass grafts. You should be encouraged to know that by changing lifestyle and reducing risk factors medically and in other ways, bypass grafts can stay open for ten or even twenty years.