How to live with 100 PerCent Blocked LAD

[revcforde]

My husband has been seeing a well known preventive cardiologist in Houston for two years after being diagnosed with severe CAD and 100 Per cent blockage of the LAD and one other artery.  He has been a marathoner, played full court basket ball until he was 55 (ten years ago).  After his younger brother died from a heart attack at age 48 and his dad at age 62 plus discovery that his stamina was really decreasing... he had a calcium tomography showing he was in the 95th percentile of having a cardiac event in five years.  Five years later he repeated the CT scan and his numbers doubled.  At that point he had a PET scan showing the severe CAD in all of his arteries.  the cardiologist wanted him to do an angiogram; but he refused because of familial issues with invasive procedures and chose to begin the two year program to reverse CAD. the cardiologist suspected his CAD was genetic looking at the PET scan vs  his athletic fitness, perfect cholesterol panel, etc.  He was diagnosed iwth LPa ... a genetic component to CAD with a score of 130.  Normal is 30.  He has been on Lipitor, Plavix, and 200 mg of Niaspan plus following the severely restricted fat (15 gm day) 100 per cent of the time for the past two years.   His appointment this past week for the repeat PET scan two years later showed NO change.  100 per cent blockage of the LAD and 100 per cent blockage of another artery 9lower down).  He is not a candidate for bypass surgery.  He is asymtomatic with plans to cut back fat even more drastically.  Obvioiusly he has collateral circulation but that is not enough under heavy stress.  My questions are ... will this unblock the blockages?  Is there any medication that will clean the arteries?  What happens to the heart with such inadequate flow:

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

The Specialists will know best as they have all the scans and tests in hand and the knowledge needed to make a decision as drastic as Bypass Surgery.  I am sure they are monitoring his condition and it depends on his overall heart function.  Bypass surgery, or any open heart surgery, is very risky and drastic intervention, so they only do that when it is absolutely life-threatening.

The heart is wonderful by creating Collaterals, but that will help with some blockages, for a number of years and then, no more and that is normally why sudden cardiac attacks begin.  There is medication to prevent further damage to the existing blocked arteries and to dialate the arteries and Lipitor and a heart-healthy diet and moderate excersice will keep the rest of his arteries clean.

All the best,