Archive for the ‘Vascular’ Category

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How can Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair Help Me?

Fixing broken hearts doesn’t just happen in fairy tales or chick flicks. Doctors do it all the time as patients with serious disorders seek their help in a long journey toward full recovery. With the advancements medicine has been taking in the last 10 years in conjunction with amazing technology available, there seems to be a limitless source of knowledge that is being tapped into. Minimally invasive mitral valve repair is an example of how wonderful our situation is at the moment. The difference between these newer procedures and what people have to go through using traditional procedures is mind-boggling.

For example, heart surgery has always been an extremely difficult time in the lives of thousands of people who suffer from a heart conditions. Minimizing the recovery time of these surgeries and also the long term negative affects is helping patients get out of their sick bed and back into the swing of things much faster than every before. Those that are diagnosed early on for a heart malfunction can take preventative measures with the help of a surgeon who is trained in minimally invasive techniques to quickly take out the problems quickly.

Minimally invasive heart surgery is extremely important because it helps the body recover from a surgery that might otherwise be too much for it to bear. Small children especially have a hard time with heart surgery, even when it is absolutely necessary. The pain you feel when having your chest cracked open and then stapled back together again is extreme. Those who realize the importance of shortening the recovery time jump on the bandwagon and find relief faster than they ever would have otherwise. Some think that this is a miracle while others give credit to modern technology. Whichever is responsible, it is wonderful for broken hearts to be mended hole once again.

Posted on July 22nd 2011 in Vascular | No Comments »

What is Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Repair Surgery?

Minimally invasive mitral valve repair is a surgical procedure used to effectively treat mitral valve leakage or narrowing, mitral valve infection, or major heart symptoms caused by mitral valve changes. The mitral valve repair procedure involves removing, trimming, shaping, or rebuilding the damaged tissue and reconstructing the over stretched chordate. The mitral valve repair procedure can help to resume normal heart function.

Most surgeons chose mitral valve replacement in the past to help deal with mitral valve conditions. However, due to the benefits associated with mitral valve repair, most surgeons are now opting for this minimally invasive approach. The procedure is usually completed by a highly qualified surgeon, who is aided by state-of-the-art techniques and a number of specialized surgical instruments.

The mitral valve repair procedure is completed through small keyhole incisions in the chest or through a small 2 – 5 inch incision. Due to the fact that the procedure is completed through small incisions, there is no need to spread the ribs or sternum. This operation is not nearly as traumatic to the body as the mitral valve replacement. There is also a lower risk of blood loss, infections, and complications.

Minimally invasive mitral valve repair also requires a shorter hospital stay and a smoother, faster recovery process. It also has a higher survival rate and better overall results. It also ensures that the patient does not require lifelong blood thinners. It also decreases the need for reoperations, which is the case with mitral valve replacement.

If a patient seeks the mitral valve repair procedure early enough, then they may be able to avoid heart problems in the future. Minimally invasive mitral valve repair is not right for everyone, so you will need to speak with a board certified heart surgeon to find out if it is right for you.

Posted on June 16th 2011 in Vascular | No Comments »

Heart Disease Treatments- The Top 3

Heart disease treatments can vary, depending upon your condition and what type of heart disease you may be suffering from.  Heart disease is a bit of an umbrella term for various heart related health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, high blood cholesterol levels, congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, etc.  You get the picture!

So based on that, heart disease treatments can differ greatly as far as medications that are prescribed for a particular ailment.  You wouldn’t take a blood pressure medication if your cholesterol was high, and vice versa.  Likewise, you wouldn’t take antibiotics for high cholesterol, if you were suffering from rheumatic heart disease.

However, three things ring true for all heart disease treatments, regardless of the type of heart disease you are suffering from.  Those are diet, exercise, and baby aspirin if you are having chest pain!  Also bad habits like smoking and excessive drinking will both make heart disease worse, regardless of what type you may be suffering from.

DIET

The most effective of heart disease treatments on the market today are preventative.  That means stop fueling your body with a bunch of unhealthy junk food that taxes your heart, and start loading up on whole foods like fresh fruits and veggies, as well as moderate lean meats and protein from heart healthy sources like soy. Add omega 3 fish oil to your diet as it has been shown that there are many fish oil benefits for the heart.

EXERCISE

Also start including exercise into your day, even if only for a few minutes each day.  Exercise is considered one of the best heart disease treatments on the block, as it strengthens the heart muscle itself, and gets blood and nutrients circulating around properly, as well as vital oxygen.

BABY ASPIRIN

Baby aspirin is also something you should keep handy at all times, as it can thin out the blood and get it flowing back to your heart properly if you are experiencing chest pain due to some sort of heart disease.  It is most likely listed in the little black book of heart disease treatments, it is so commonly prescribed!  So there you have it, the three most common heart disease treatments that are prescribed.  Take note and start your own road to a healthy heart!

Posted on August 19th 2010 in Vascular | No Comments »

Rubber Band Ligation for Treating Hemorrhoids

The fun to be had from hemorrhoids is somewhere between riding on a train next to someone with intense body odor and having to endure that same individual’s unfortunate smell on a daily basis. In other words, hemorrhoids are not very fun at all.

Hemorrhoid discomfort is an unpleasant thing. Nobody likes it. Why would you? It is an itch you cannot scratch accompanied by burning. No fun!

It is a good thing we can all do something about hemorrhoids when we get them.You can handle your hemorrhoids yourself, or see a health care professional for simple treatment.

If you go it yourself, you will need to head to your favorite store for buying over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and purchase an ointment meant to make your problem more livable. And that is the word — livable. You will not really be curing your hemorrhoids, but rarely is such a condition with us more than ten days or so.

If about ten days sounds like too long to you, or your hemorrhoids tend to “take up residence” when you get them, your doctor can help. There is a procedure — rubber band ligation for hemorrhoids — that a doctor can use to aid you and help you feel better “down there”.

How does this procedure work? (And it absolutely works, by the way.)

Your doctor will use an instrument to pull your hemorrhoid a little bit out from your body — to make space for the doctor to place a rubber band around the base of the hemorrhoid. The banding of hemorrhoids only takes about a minute for each hemorrhoid.

When you are done with the procedure, you will have been in the doctor’s office for only about ten minutes (depending upon the waiting room time). A few days later, no more hemorrhoids. A nice feeling, indeed!

Posted on April 21st 2010 in Vascular | No Comments »