Coronary Heart Disease Care

When you or a loved one has heart disease, you want the best care possible. Turn to the experts at Spectrum Health to help manage symptoms, improve your quality of life and reduce your risk of future complications.

Coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease, is the most common type of heart disease in the U.S. It happens when there’s too much plaque in your coronary arteries—the blood vessels that bring blood to your heart. Over time, plaque buildup makes it harder for blood to get to your heart.

Coronary heart disease develops over many years. A coronary calcium scan, or heart scan, can help you find plaque build-up early—before you have symptoms.

Risk factors for heart disease include:

• Age (45 or older for men, 55 or older for women)
• Diabetes, type 1 or type 2
• Diet high in red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, sodium (salt) and trans fats.
• Family history of heart disease
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• History of smoking
• Lack of physical activity
• Obesity
• Stress
• Unhealthy cholesterol levels

When your heart doesn’t get enough blood, you may feel chest pain, discomfort, pressure or tightness. This is called angina. Symptoms usually happen when you exercise or feel stressed, and then stop after a few minutes of rest. 

If you experience angina, talk to your primary care provider or cardiologist right away. 

If your chest pain is severe or doesn’t stop within a few minutes, call 9-1-1. You may be having a heart attack.

Our experts come together to deliver the best care and treatment for your needs and preferences. Your care plan may include: 

• Cardiac rehabilitation – Helps you improve your heart health after a cardiovascular event or procedure 
• Coronary artery bypass surgery – Reroutes blood flow around a blocked artery 
• Enhanced external counter pulsation therapy (EECP) – Uses inflatable cuffs around your legs to improve blood flow 
• Medications – Treat symptoms 
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) – Uses thin, flexible tubes (catheters) to reach and treat blocked arteries 
• Coronary Stents
• Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO)
  • Spectrum Health offers a nonsurgical procedure for patients with CTO using specialized catheters and stents to open completely blocked arteries. Highly experienced interventional cardiologists have performed over 400 of these complex procedures to restore normal blood flow through the artery giving the heart muscle a better supply of oxygen. Patients referred to the Spectrum Health CTO clinic have an 88% probability of successfully treating their occluded coronary artery with inspiring improvements in patient’s quality of life.
• Protected Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (Protected PCI)
  • Sometimes patients have no options when their heart disease is too severe for traditional PCI and heart surgery is too great a risk. Spectrum Health Protected PCI program may be an alternative for patients by offering services that may not be available elsewhere. Many times, patient cases are presented at the Spectrum Health Heart Team where doctors from multiple specialties collaborate to recommend the best treatment plan for complex heart disease. Patients get a personalized care plan with this multidisciplinary approach, and guidance from the care team for patients and families in this decision-making process. The procedure plan developed may include the need for a temporary heart pump, called an Impella, this pump may be used to help reduce the workload of the heart during the PCI procedure, and allow more time to complete the procedure. At Spectrum Health our care is team based, keeping patients and families at the center.
• Rotablation and Rotational Atherectomy
  • Rotational Atherectomy is a minimally invasive procedure offered at Spectrum Health that can be used to prep the coronary artery for stenting when there is heavily calcified blockages in the artery. Specially trained Interventional cardiologists perform the procedure by navigating a catheter fitted with a Rotablator device through the site of the blockage that rotates at a speed of up to 150,000 rpm, gently pulverizing the blockage into tiny particles that can pass safely through the bloodstream.
• Coronary Intravascular Lithotripsy
  • This newer technology is available at Spectrum Health as an alternative method for prepping the coronary artery for stenting when there is moderate to severe calcified blockages. The procedure minimizes trauma within the artery by delivering pulsatile sonic pressure waves locally breaking up the calcium in the artery wall in a safe manner.
• Preventive cardiology care – Helps slow the progression of heart disease 

Learn more about heart procedures and surgery at Spectrum Health.