Maryland Heart Center

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

What is Coronary Artery Disease? | Causes and Risk Factors | Signs and Symptoms | Diagnosing CAD | Treatments-Medical & Surgical Options

Treatments - Medical Management and Surgical Options

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This short video shows how Angioplasty is used to open narrowed or blocked arteries caused by deposits of plaque
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Medical Management

Using a multi-disciplinary approach, our cardiologists combine medications with dietary management, lifestyle modification, smoking cessation, exercise, and cholesterol level management to stabilize current heart disease and minimize the risk of future cardiac conditions.

Catheter-Based Options

University of Maryland Heart Center's experienced team of interventional cardiologists performs hundreds of procedures annually in a suite of state-of-the-art, digital cardiac catheterization laboratories.

The following are catheter-based options for treating CAD, all of which are performed in the University of Maryland Heart Center laboratories:

Coronary Angioplasty: A procedure utilizing a balloon to open or widen blocked coronary arteries, improving blood flow to the heart.
Peripheral Angioplasty: A multidisciplinary approach combining the expertise of vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists and cardiologists, used to treat blocked peripheral vessels and improve blood flow to the extremities.
Stenting: A coronary stent implant involves placing a small mesh-like wire tube in a narrowed artery to keep it open and expanded. The stent is left permanently in the artery and it is often done following angioplasty. The University of Maryland Heart Center has access to the latest stent technology, including drug treated stents.
Coronary Atherectomy: The removal of plaque from arteries.
Brache: Intracoronary radiation therapy for treatment of restenois.

After treatment in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, dedicated nurses and nurse practitioners care for patients in recovery suites, where Maryland Heart Center surgeons are available for immediate consultation.

Surgical Options

Offering traditional and minimally invasive approaches to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG -- coronary artery bypass grafting), our experienced cardiac surgeons are pioneering approaches to reduce side effects, speed recovery and improve patient outcomes.

Minimally Invasive Cardiac Bypass Program (Off-Pump Bypass Surgery)

The University of Maryland Heart Center has a highly active, minimally invasive cardiac bypass program, due to the expertise of our surgeons who are pioneers in surgical approaches in off-pump or "beating heart" bypass surgery. Off-pump bypass surgery is minimally invasive because it eliminates the use of the heart-lung machine during coronary artery bypass surgery.

With this procedure, the heart does not have to be stopped, as in a standard CABG procedure. Advantages of this approach include a quicker recovery, decreased need for blood transfusion and reduced complications.

Other Coronary Artery Bypass Procedures (On and Off-Pump)

Arterial Conduits: These are used as by-pass vessels to provide better long-term results than veins.

Endovascular Vein Harvest: This technique uses a small incision and camera to harvest a vein from the patient's leg that will be used to replace the blocked vessels of the heart. This minimally invasive procedure replaces an open incision technique and offers fewer incisions, less discomfort, reduced risk of infection and improved recovery time.

Gene Therapy to Prevent Vein Graft Stenosis: The University of Maryland is participating in a study of DNA therapy, which is carried out in a patient's vein before it is implanted into the patient's body. Certain markers (bad genes) are blocked by a piece of DNA, which then keeps the implanted vein open and working properly.

Laser Revascularization (Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization): This procedure treats patients with coronary artery disease, angina, or chest pain who are not candidates for angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery. The procedure involves using a laser to make "channels", or small holes, directly into the heart muscle through a small incision. The outside of the heart muscle seals up immediately. In time, as these channels heal, they promote the growth of new small vessels or capillaries by a process known as angiogenesis. The procedure stimulates the heart muscle and is effective in controlling pain. It can be used alone or with coronary artery bypass.

This page was last updated on: June 28, 2007.

Please call if you would like to make an appointment or talk to someone about our services. Patients dial 1-800-492-5538 or 410-328-5842, physicians dial 410-328-6622 or 1-800-318-1019.