Treatment of Heart Disease
Biology: Cambridge International GCSE Supplement, topic 9.2.6
Treating Coronary Heart Disease
The two common treatments for coronary heart disease are:
Surgery
- Small tubes called stents can be put into arteries to keep them open.
- Angioplasty is where a small balloon is put in the artery to increase blood flow and break up the blockage.
- A by-pass involves taking a blood vessel from somewhere else in the body and putting it in the heart to divert blood away from the blocked artery.
Drugs
- Aspirin is a drug that can reduce inflammation (swelling) and prevent blood clots from forming.