Coronary Artery Disease Overview
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as heart disease, is a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the heart.
CAD is the most common type of heart disease and the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.
Complications of CAD
A gradual build-up of cholesterol-containing deposits (plaque) on the walls of the arteries (atherosclerosis) can cause CAD.
Plaque narrows or blocks the arteries, reducing blood flow to the heart muscle.
This can result in:
- Chest pain (angina)
- Heart attack
- Death
About the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute
We offer standard and minimally invasive procedures to treat:
Diagnosing Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Coronary artery disease (CAD) or heart disease, may develop slowly over many years, and it often can go unnoticed until serious symptoms develop.
Symptoms of coronary artery disease
Serious symptoms of CAD — including heart attack and instant death — can occur without warning.
More common symptoms include:
- Chest pain, which may feel like pressure or squeezing pain in your chest
- Pain or pressure in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back
- Shortness of breath
Testing for coronary artery disease
If you go to the emergency room with chest pain, some tests will be done right away to determine if you are experiencing angina or a heart attack.
Your doctor will order tests to:
- Obtain precise measures of cardiac function
- Rule out other possible causes
- Determine the best treatment
Testing may include:
Testing results
Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your test results and will call you when they're available.
About the UPMC Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program
The UPMC Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program uses state-of-the-art diagnostic tests and procedures not found at other medical centers in the region. Our highly advanced equipment provides unprecedented views of the heart and coronary arteries.
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Treatment
UPMC's integrated team of cardiologists and other specialists work together to provide a full range of treatment options for coronary artery disease (CAD), also called heart disease.
Tailored to the cause and severity of your CAD, your heart disease treatment may include:
| Medicines |
- Relieve chest pain
- Prevent progression of CAD
- Improve blood flow to the heart
|
| Lifestyle changes |
- To prevent or slow heart disease:
- Regular exercise
- Healthy diet
- Smoking cessation
|
| Catheter-assisted procedures and bypass surgery |
- Can help open blocked arteries
|
Procedures for treating coronary artery disease
- Interventional procedures — nonsurgical treatments to open the artery, such as a cardiac catheterization with stenting or balloon angioplasty.
- Coronary bypass graft surgery — to restore blood flow to the heart muscle using blood vessels from other parts of the body.
UPMC's Cardiac Catheterization Program specialists perform more than 16,000 diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization procedures each year.
And more than 950 coronary artery bypass graft surgeries were performed at UPMC hospitals last year. Our cardiothoracic surgeons have helped pioneer the use of minimally invasive techniques in heart surgery, performing the first minimally invasive coronary bypass graft surgery in the tristate (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia) region.
Learn more about heart and vascular treatments at UPMC.