Heart Attack - Coronary Artery Disease

"We have a set protocol for all the routine and complex procedures," says Samin K. Sharma, MD, Director of the Mount Sinai Cardiovascular Clinical Institute, Senior Vice President of Operations and Quality for Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, and President of Mount Sinai Heart Network. "If a complication should occur, we have protocols for how the procedure should be done from a technical point of view."

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease. It is also the leading cause of death worldwide.

CAD occurs when the cells lining the arteries are damaged from plaque accumulating on the vessel walls. This buildup of plaque hardens and narrows the arteries (a condition called atherosclerosis), restricting blood flow and increasing the strain on your heart. The end result may be a heart attack.

At Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, we're dedicated to fighting coronary artery disease through expert diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.  Our approach is to establish a well-coordinated plan that includes a close partnership among you, our patients, and your health care team, family, and friends. As we develop your treatment plan, we consider a variety of factors including lifestyle changes, medications, and in more advanced cases, surgery and rehabilitation.

We take a highly collaborative approach to treatment. Our cardiologists consult with specialists in other divisions and work with nurses and support staff to create treatment plans and foster interdisciplinary communication. These therapies may include:

• Lifestyle modifications to improve damaging effects of risk factors
• Medical therapy to control clot formation, cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes
• Interventional cardiology procedures, such as angioplasty, to clear clogged arteries
• Cardiovascular surgery to replace diseased vessels

Why Choose Mount Sinai?

Our multidisciplinary interventional cardiology team, patient volume, and procedural offerings have expanded significantly over the years. We offer seamless teamwork and dedication to treating each individual patient, taking into account your medical history, type and status of condition, and lifestyle. Our world-class researchers study the underlying causes of heart disease and develop targeted tools and procedures to treat it, providing you with access to the latest testing and treatments through participating in clinical trials. In fact, at The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory alone, we perform approximately 7,500 interventions annually.

Patients of all ages, from pediatrics to geriatrics, come to Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital from all over the world for interventional procedures to help restore the pathway to the heart. We perform routine diagnostics and procedures—such as angioplasties, catheterizations, and stents—to the full spectrum of techniques for complex cases. Our team is internationally recognized for our vast expertise in the following complex procedures:

• Balloon valvuloplasty (aortic and mitral valves)
• Coronary artery bypass graft
• Left main stenting for unprotected left main coronary artery disease
• Percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion, or chronic blockage
• Rotational atherectomy
• Transcatheter aortic valve implementation/replacement