Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: Carotid artery blockage My husband has had a heart attack (6 years ago), is diabetic, has PVD- He has recently been diagnosed as having a 100% blockage in the left carotid artery with approximately 60 to 70% function on the right. Our internist has said no treatment is necessary; however, he is now experiencing chest pain on a frequent basis that occurs at rest and is sometimes help by nitro, but other times is not. The pain seems to occur most frequently when he is lying down. We have an appointment with a cardiologist whom we have previously seen on Jan 4th. Wonder if this pain could be related to the carotid problem and what other testing should be conducted. He did have a cardic cath after the heart attack and was told he was not a candidate for angioplasty or surgery due to the lack of distal circulation past the two blocked arteries. He has been fairly comfortable with medication and able to be fairly active. We are now concerned about this new development and I (and RN) worry about the possibility of stroke. Any information you can give me prior to our appointment would be appreciated. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for your question. I don't think that the chest pain is due to the carotid blockage. It may be due to coronary artery blockages and this will need to be addressed by his cardiologist. In general carotid artery blockages are not treated until they approach 90%. At that time either stenting or surgery may be necessary to decrease the risk of stroke. I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
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