EP308: Myocardial Bridging—a Bridge Too Far

Doctor Warrick Bishop - Heart Health

Welcome to my podcast. I am Doctor Warrick Bishop, and I want to help you to live as well as possible for as long as possible. I’m a practising cardiologist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and the creator of The Healthy Heart Network. I have over 20 years as a specialist cardiologist and a private practice of over 10,000 patients.

Doctor Warrick Bishop discusses heart disease risks and prevention on his podcast. He talks about an interesting presentation he saw on myocardial bridging, where the coronary artery runs through the heart muscle in 20% of people. This was thought to not impact blood flow, but can in rare cases limit flow and cause angina symptoms. This is a cause of MINOCA syndrome, where ischemia occurs despite clear arteries.

Doctor Bishop describes diagnostic tests like CT scans and intravascular ultrasound to identify bridging arteries. Surgery called deroofing can be done to free up a compressed artery. Medications may also help symptoms but stents are unlikely to. The podcast highlights this potential new cause of angina symptoms from a rare arterial variation.

Takeaway:

• Heart disease is a major problem in Australia, with someone suffering a heart attack every 20 minutes. Most cases could be prevented through lifestyle changes.
• The podcast aims to educate listeners about blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and how to live a long and healthy life.
• Myocardial bridges occur when the coronary arteries run through the heart muscle instead of over its surface, which can happen in up to 20% of people.
• It was previously thought myocardial bridges did not restrict blood flow, but new research shows they can in rare cases limit blood flow and cause angina-like symptoms.
• This condition is called MINOCA (myocardial ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries).
• Tests like CT scans, stress tests and invasive angiography may not provide clear diagnosis for MINOCA, but intravascular ultrasound can identify compression of arteries in myocardial bridges.
• Surgery to remove the surrounding heart muscle (deroofing) may help in some cases of myocardial bridge-related chest pain.
• Stents do not typically help MINOCA caused by myocardial bridges.
• Medications like beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and nitroglycerin can relieve angina symptoms from myocardial bridges.
• The website heartcheck.com.au allows people to assess their heart disease risk and learn more about prevention.

Australia, like the rest of the western world, has a heart problem.

Over 9 million people around the world die from heart disease every year.

Every 10 minutes, someone in Australia suffers a heart attack. And 21 lives are lost daily because of it.

The devastating fact in all of this is…

Almost every one of those cases could have been prevented.

This podcast is for anyone who wants to improve their health literacy and gain information to help them make the best decisions about their risk of heart attack, their cholesterol, blood pressure, risk of diabetes, weight loss and general health. Join me on my personal mission journey to prevent Heart Attack on a global scale. If you like this podcast, I would be honoured by a 5-star review and appreciate if you let your friends and family know about this podcast; you may even save the life of someone you love!

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Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

• 94% of Australians have at least One Risk Factor for heart disease.
• 59% of Australians have been Touched by heart disease.
• Yet only 3% of Australians have had a Full Heart-Health Assessment in the past 12 months.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

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Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

• understand the present state of their heart’s health
• recognise their current level of risk of suffering a heart attack
• Learn the positive steps they can take to improve their situation

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON