quote:
Originally posted by Durian Fiend
I'm wondering what the next step would be for a guy who has already had a quintuple bypass. Multiple bouts of meningitis too? Wow, I had no idea he had such a litany of prior health problems.
Given what has been reported about his health history, the Mayor appears to have a serious/chronic ongoing heart condition.
It might be a combination of genetic issues which would lead to clogged arteries and/or a diet which included red meat/saturated fats. Anyone with this condition would try eat a healthy diet of whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables.
It sounds like his arteries have started to narrow/clog again which might indicate a genetic predisposition. Typically, bypass surgery will last 10 to 12 years. Since the Mayor had his bypass in 2008, the potential clogging/narrowing issues appear to have resurfaced again. This is normal for someone with an extensive cardiovascular history.
The Mayor's options might include:
1) Perform an angioplasty to see if the artery or arteries and be opened up a bit. If the Mayor's condition is genetic, the narrowing might be in all heart arteries (big and small) so there might only be limited benefit with this procedure.
2) Place drug eluding stents in the larger arteries to keep them open and the blood flowing smoothly. The newer stents are drug eluding which might help the arteries from recloging or recloging at a slower rate.
3)Having another round of bypass surgery. This is very dependent on where the current clog/narrowing is. Is it localized in one artery or is it an overall narrowing of all arteries and how the previous bypass was performed.
To reduce the stress on the heart, lasix can be used to remove excess fluid from the body, allowing the heart an easier job of pumping. A low sodium diet is also helpful.
These are some of the options that the Mayor's cardiology team of doctors will discuss with him.
Whatever the path of treatment, the Mayor will require some rest and perhaps ease his way back to work on a part time basis at first until he regains his strength to perform his mayoral duties on a full time basis.
