Hi, my friend lost his brother last month at only 49 years old to a heart attack. Now the drs have told him, he is not getting enough air to 2 parts of his heart and is sending him to a specialist. What does this mean, and what can be done about it? Thanks

We have a few med students on this board who can better answer your questions but they are really busy at this time.. hope this helps a bit.

I borrowed this from Google because I didn't want to type it all out. ... this could explain some of what your friend heard from the Doctor.

Oxygen is carried by the blood.

The specialist will probably direct him to get his heart healthy through meds, exercise, diet etc etc..



"Heart disease is caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries that feed the heart. Like any muscle, the heart needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, which are carried to it by the blood in the coronary arteries. When the coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged by cholesterol and fat deposits--a process called atherosclerosis--and cannot supply enough blood to the heart, the result is coronary heart disease (CHD). If not enough oxygen-carrying blood reaches the heart, you may experience chest pain called angina. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure from a blood clot forming on top of a previous narrowing. "

Thanks for that info. His brother died unexpectedly a month ago with no known heart problems. He died of a heart attack. Is this genetic, or at least is a family type disease? He doesn't think there is anything to worry about, that he just needs to stop smoking. Within the last year, he has fainted several times. Does this have anything to do with the air flow? He said he was told 2 areas of his heart are not getting enough air. I am worried not only because heart disease can be serious, my husband has been told he is living on borrowed time because they cannot operate because it would kill him, so I know something of heart disease, but because my friend seems to think it is nothing more than simple thing that will go away if he stops smoking. I just got this news tonight, and having a very ill husband and now a good friend having trouble, I am not saying this the way I would like, but I am the kind of person who needs to know what is wrong, how serious , and what to do about it. I appreciate anything you, or anyone else, can tell me so I can understand. Thanks very much. PamelaG

Pamela:

The answer to a question like that can very well have life or death consequences. I sincerely hope you are not relying on what is being said on an internet message board to guide your life (and I doubt that's the case, but I felt I should speak anyhow). Your husband needs to have a talk with his doctor abou this. If his doctor doesn't give a satisfactory answer, demand to see a specialist. At this point, were I in your shoes, I wouldn't really give a damn whether or not the visit to the specialist was covered by insurance or not.

God bless.

He most likely has coronary artery disease, which means that the arteries feeding blood to the heart muscle have plaques built up in them...AKA thombi. This reduces blood flow to the heart which reduces the ability to deliver oxygen to the heart. This is caused by a combination of genetics and improper diet and lifestyle. Eventually what happens, is one of the arteries will become blocked, and the heart muscle will infarct (become ischemic and die). This causes an MI, or what is better known as a "heart attack." If a tissue isn't getting oxygen carried to it, it dies,a nd thus quits working.

Treatment: change your diet, exercise, take medications like blood pressure meds and blood thinners, and possibly surgery (CABG, or coronary artery bypass graft).

Hope that helps.