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Question:
Can anything be done to prevent an impending heart attack?
I have a diagonal artery that is nearly closed. It sits next to the aortic valve. Too small to stent and too close to the valve to bypass according to my cardiologist. Told that I will have a slight heart attack when it finally closes but it should not be a major experience. Angina has ramped up of late but then, so has the stress of waiting for this to happen. Is there anything else that can be done to prevent this attack? I have 4 stents. Am 57 years old and I continue to work a full time job.
submitted by Janet from Buffalo, New York on 10/18/2014
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Neil E. Strickman, MD
The above is not totally correct. The risk of a single bypass to the diagonal is > the benefit. If it is too small to stent, medical therapy is indicated. A trial of the medicine, Ranexa, may help.
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Updated October 2014
