Coronary artery diseasse

  I have a very good friend who is a 34 year old male..He has had two heart attacks in the past 2 years...neither did a lot of damage to the heart...he has had two heart catherizations and one angioplasty...He had open heart surgery about 7 months ago and he has very diseased arteries..The main artery to his heart is 100% clogged...The drs say that so far his heart is relatively strong..He had to have another catherization last week and the doctors said they could do nothing with the main artery that is clogged...He has followed a strict no fat, vegitarian diet and is on medication for cholestrohol...It is down to 92 right now..I would just like to know what steps do we take now? Drs. seem to be at a loss as to what to do..He also has a condition where his blood doesnt not filter the cholesterol (dont know the proper term for this) We have inquired about the new gene therapy but Dr. here feels he is not a candidate..The only thing they are telling us now is that he may need a heart transplant. Any information would be greatly appreciated.. At this point in time they are giving us much hope...THank you so much

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

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Dear Sherri
If his left main artery is 100% blocked, I suspect that the blockage has already been bypassed at the time of his surgery - it should therefore not cause him any immediate problems.
His cholesterol level is not elevated on treatment. It will be important to keep this level well below normal for the coming years.
Perhaps you should see a preventive cardiologist who specializes in trying to prevent progression of heart disease in young people like your friend. I assume he also exercises regularly.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck.
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.